Tales of the Serpentine: Unification
by WarriorKing849
Summary: REBOOT OF THE ORIGINAL TALES OF THE SERPENTINE. A reimaging of my first story, however, this is not a collection of one-shots. This is a concrete tale telling the story of the serpentine and human races uniting in various parts of the ninjago world to combat a growing evil. Contains multiple cross-overs with other series and multiple fanmade OCs. Read and review.
1. The Day of the Golden Master

**I'M BACK SUCKERS! THOUGHT I WAS GONE DIDN'T YA!**

 **Okay everyone, here it is. The first chapter of my Reboot/retelling/reimagining of my first ever fanfiction: Tales of the Serpentine. This will follow my original design for the series but the format and some aspects of the story will be changed. However, the overall spirit and tone that I was shooting for will remain unchanged. Thanks for reading. I own nothing.**

Skales sat on a large rock overlooking the underground serpentine village. In the year since they had been imprisoned again, the four tribes had grown into a surprisingly stable community. There had been some infighting, but that was usually contained to isolated events. Overall, there was peace, and Skales was content with it.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Came a familiar voice. Skales turned his head to see Selma, his wife, standing behind him. She was female with pink scales and a pearl necklace.

"Oh, just thinking," Skales replied.

"About?" Selma pressured, sitting down next to him.

"W…Well, I'm concerned about what the Ninja were talking about," Skales admitted.

"You mean about the prophecy?" Selma guessed. Skales nodded in response.

"If what they said is true, then the Golden Master could be rising after all," Skales said. "And we might not be safe down here."

"Skales, listen, you did all you could," Selma said.

At that moment, the entire cave began to shake. Pieces of the ceiling fell to the ground. The floor split as large cracks appeared. Stalagmites crumbled into rubble and stalactites descended from the ceiling.

Skales and Selma immediately stood up. They both knew what was happening. The time had come: the Golden Master had risen.

"I'll go find Junior," Selma said, before running off. Skales quickly slithered to the center of the cavern. He found the other generals: Fangtom, Skalidor, and Acidicus, waiting for him.

"Is everyone ready?" Skales asked. He and the other generals had spent months planning for the rise of the Golden Master.

"As ready as we'll ever be," Fangtom replied.

"Everyone remember their jobs?" Skales asked.

"Reinforce the gates," Fangtom said.

"Secure the ceiling," Acidicus said.

"Eat!" Skalidor exclaimed, to which everyone gave him an annoyed look. "I know, I know, keep everyone together. Sorry, I'm just nervous."

The three then broke apart and headed to their separate jobs. Skales slithered to the top of the highest rock he could find and yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Everyone listen! Stay away from the sides and gather together in the middle! Stay together and no one panic!"

"Look out!" Came a voice from the crowd. Skales looked up to see a stalactite falling right toward him. Skales quickly threw himself off the rock pedestal at the last minute. After brushing dirt from his scales, he looked around at the various serpentine. Fear dominated the crowds. Every snake he knew glanced up at the ceiling every time the ground rumbled, which was becoming much more frequent. Parents clutched their children close and lovers grabbed each other's hands. The sight made Skales think of his own family.

"We need more reinforcements on the doors," Fangtom yelled.

A couple of Serpentine obeyed the general but most of them continued to sit in dark corners cowering, though Skales really could not blame them. It was the end of the world. Skales noticed a soft pat on his shoulder and turned to see his beloved wife, Selma. He followed her over into a dark corner of the caves. As soon as Skales was sure that they were out of earshot, he asked.

"How is Junior? Is he okay?"

"Yes," Selma responded. "He's kinda shaken up, but he's trying to keep the other snakelings distracted."

"How?" Skales inquired.

"Well, you know, organizing little teams to help with… well I don't know, but it's helping," Selma replied.

"Good," Skales said. "Then why did you call me over?"

"It's just I was wondering…about..um" Selma faltered.

"Yeah," Skales urged.

"What about the humans?" Selma asked.

Skales gave her a confused look but before he could respond a deep, resonant voice broke in.

"And what about the humans?" Skales and Selma simultaneously turned to face a tall, broad-shouldered Hyponbrai with two cobra head designs imprinted on his hood, and a long white strip running along his spine ending in a triangle in the center of his eyes. A long curved sword hung at his hip and a trickle of blood ran from a wound on his left arm.

"Cobra, are you okay? You look hurt," Skales asked, noticing the wound.

"Nothing that won't heal, your majesty," Cobra replied with a formal bow.

"Cobra, I told you, you don't have to be formal with me," Skales said, slightly embarrassed.

"Wait," Selma interjected. "What did you mean by 'what about the humans'?"

"The humans have only ever treated us with hatred and fear," Cobra spat. "We tried to warn them of their impending doom but they responded by hunting us down and imprisoning us underground. They deserve their fate."

"By marching into their towns and shouting about doom and destruction, is it really a surprise they thought we were attacking them?" Selma argued back.

Cobra barely chocked back a growl.

"Cobra, I think you should probably get your shoulder looked at," Skales said, hoping to defuse the situation. Cobra gave a disgruntled bow before walking off.

Skales and Selma waited until he was out of earshot before speaking.

"He's not wrong, you know," Skales said. "They did imprison us."

"So? Are we just supposed to let them die without caring?" Selma asked. "What if that was us out there?"

Skales stopped and considered her point. He looked at her and then around at his fellow Serpentine. _The Humans were only trying to protect their families._ Skales thought. His mind focused on Selma and Junior. Skales knew he would do anything to protect them.

"What do you think we should do?" Skales asked.

Selma paused for a moment, thinking.

"Do you think we could invite them down here?" She suggested after a moment of hesitation.

Skales stared at her, mouth agape.

"A…are you insane?" He asked, recovering from his shock. "After hundreds of years of war and hatred, them locking us underground, us unleashing the deveourer, you think we can just invite them down?"

"What else are we supposed to do?" Selma replied. "We can't just let them die; I thought we agreed about that?"

"I do agree with you," Skales said, though hesitation filled his voice. "But…I'm not sure how well it would go over with the others."

"You're their king," Selma pointed out. "Besides, everyone agreed that we were supposed to turn over a new scale."

"Not everyone," Skales countered, thinking of Cobra.

"Still, it's the right thing to do," Selma said.

Skales paused for a moment, before nodding his head.

"You're right," He agreed. "I'll see what I can do."

Skales slithered back to the main cavern. He tried to think through how he was going to approach Selma's idea to the people when Skalidor approached him.

"How's everyone doing?" Skales asked.

"A couple of injuries here and there, nothing too bad though," Skalidor replied. "Oh, by the way, your brother was hurt, shoulder scrape, but he refused treatment."

"Tell him, that he has to receive treatment…um…by order of the king," Skales said, quickly thinking up something Cobra would obey.

"'Kay," Skalidor replied, though Skales heard Skalidor mutter under his breath "Guy's a jerk, though."

Skales let out a sigh before slithering to the center of the room. Skales cleared his throat, distinctively.

"Everyone, excuse me, everyone!" Skales shouted, trying to raise his voice above the sound of the rumbling.

Serpentine raised their heads and looked at Skales.

"Now that I have your attention, I have an announcement to make," Skales began. "As you all know, the Golden Master has arisen. Now, we are safe underground. But, the humans are not. They are still on the surface, so…So I propose that we allow them to stay with us."

Skales' words were meet with uproar.

"What kinda snake are you!" One venomari shouted.

"They imprisoned us and now you want to let them live here?" A Fangpyre yelled.

"You traitor!" A Constrati growled, infuriated. He picked up a rock and Skales braced himself for the inpact. However, it never came. Cobra grabbed the constracti's wrist, squeezing it until he dropped the rock.

"Your king gave you an order, you unfaithful snake-lings!" Cobra barked, anger in his eyes. The rest of the serpentine quickly quieted down, though Skales could still hear discontented mutterings.

"Listen, I am leading a mission to try and bring as many humans down here as I can," Skales continued, ignoring the increasing murmurings. "Anyone can volunteer to help, but it's not an obligation."

Skales then slithered down from the pedestal. He noticed Cobra skulking off and pulled him aside.

"Cobra, thanks for helping me," Skales said.

Cobra gave Skales an almost irritated look before walking off without a word.

Skales gave his brother a confused look before slithering to the main gate that led to the outside.

Selma approached Skales, whispering to him.

"Please be careful,"

Skales nodded, before hugging her and approaching the main gate. He looked to his left and saw Fangtom and two other serpentine approach. It wasn't much but Skales was surprised that anyone at all even came.

"Thanks for helping," Skales said to Fangtom.

"Hey, what are friends for?" Fangtom replied. "You sure about this?"

Skales nodded before reaching out a hand and opening the door.

 **To be continued**


	2. 10 Years Later

**I own nothing**

10 years later

Dust settled on barren, empty, mountain as the two warriors turned to face one another. One wore blue armor accented by gold highlights which gleamed with the light of the setting sun. The other wore a fiery red robe flapping in the wind. The human moved his hand to hover above the katana hilt at his hip. The armored one moved his arm to grab the hilt of a longsword sheathed across his back. The robed warrior's foot started to slide against the dust covered ground as he prepared to spring forward. However, the armored one beat him to it, launching himself into the air. The robed gasped in surprise, shocked as his opponent's blade fell toward him. Barely regaining his senses, the Robed Warrior rolled out of the way right before the Armored warrior crashed down. Hardly phased by this, the armored warrior immediately unleashed a volley of attacks at his opponent. The robed ducked out of the way of the first two blows before drawing his katana and blocking the third. The Armored refused to relent, swinging down at his opponent. He countered by striking his opponent's weapon-hand. This sent the sword flying away.

"Surrender?" The Robed offered, a triumphant smirk on his face.

"Not likely," The Armored replied, before pulling out a short sword.

He lunged at the Robed. The Armored quickly fainted an attack at his left before striking at his right hand, which held the katana. The weapon flew out of its wielder's hands. The Robed took a panicked step back, as the Armored advanced. Suddenly, the Armored stopped in his tracks, unable to move. He looked at the ground in confusion before looking back up at his opponent, who had a hand extended toward him.

"Hey, no fair," The Armored complained. "Sensei Lloyd said you're not allowed to use powers in training."

"Okay, you two, that's enough," Came a voice. The two turned to see a large crowd of onlookers watching. They all wore identical uniforms, excepting their belts which were various colors ranging from white to red, to green to black. All of them were children, some of varying age. Standing above them was an adult wearing a green robe. He had light sandy blond hair and a hair complexion.

"Sensei Lloyd," The two combatants said, immediately snapping to attention.

"That was a good display," Lloyd Garamadon said a proud smile on his face. "However, both of you made a crucial mistake."

"James," He said looking at the Armored. "Just because there are rules here, that does not mean that fights will always be fair. You need to ready yourself for any sort of situation."

"Yes sensei," James replied obediently.

The Robed allowed a triumphant smile to appear on his face.

"Frederick, the same applies to you," Lloyd said, turning to his human student.

"But sensei?" Frederick objected, though Lloyd quickly interrupted him.

"You allowed yourself to be caught off guard," Lloyd explained. "You too must learn to be ready in case of anything.

"Yes sensei," Frederick grumbled.

"Alright, sparring practice is over, everyone back to the dojo," Lloyd announced. With that, the students all sprinted off to a large building on the top of the mountain. The dojo was massive, standing at five stories high and encompassing the entire top of the mountain in width. The stone tiles that made up the roof were red in color. As they approached the building, Lloyd could not help but smile at his achievements.

Ten years had passed since Lloyd had first joined the ninja. They had many adventures over the years but after Sensei Wu passed eventually they spilt up. Jay and Nya had finally gotten together and now lived a comfortable life running his parent's junkyard. Cole worked with the New Ninjago City police force, helping to keep the city's crime under control. Kai had never really stopped being a ninja. He continued to adventure throughout Ninjago, fighting whatever foes he encountered and saving the day. Lloyd had to admire Kai's resolve though Lloyd had discovered that he had a different calling.

Lloyd decided, after Wu's passing, to fulfill the legacy of both his father and uncle. Lloyd, with the help of Zane, Pixal, and Dareth, had built Wu's Ninja academy, a dojo where they taught young people how to defend themselves and use their elemental powers. Lloyd had built the dojo to be a complete secret. Only himself, the other ninja, and the students and their familes knew where it was. At first, the entire student body had only been humans with elemental powers. But over time, regular humans had started to show up, interested in learning martial arts.

"Ah greetings, Lloyd," Came a friendly voice. Lloyd turned to see Zane approaching.

"Well, how did the elemental training go?" Lloyd asked.

"Very well, at least until Cecil almost melted the floor, again," Zane replied.

"Well, he's still young. He'll learn," Lloyd said.

Zane nodded in agreement, before commenting.

"Your students are coming along very well. Wu would be proud."

"I disagree completely!" Shouted a voice. Lloyd and Zane turned to see a very angry looking Dareth approaching.

"Oh boy," Lloyd muttered under his breath.

"Dareth, what seems to be the trouble?" Zane asked, maintaining his normal even tone.

"I have spent months…MONTHS! And yet, my incomparable teaching skills have failed to reach these poor students!" Dareth complained, almost screaming.

"Dareth, could you turn down the volume?" Lloyd asked, glancing around.

"NO!" He shouted back.

"What is wrong?" Zane asked, even his patience starting to wear.

"They haven't perfected tiger style yet!" Dareth said.

"Didn't you just start teaching that, yesterday?" Zane pointed out.

"It's the principle," Dareth muttered.

"Well, maybe you should just be patient," Lloyd advised. "I'm sure they'll improve in time."

"Hmph, patience is for wimps," Dareth muttered. Though his dissatisfaction immediately vanished at the sound of a bell ringing from within the dojo.

"Oh, dinnertime!" He said before running toward the cafeteria, closely followed by the children.

Lloyd smiled before walking toward the exit.

"Lloyd, aren't you coming?" Zane asked.

"Nah, I'm not that hungry, besides I'd rather be alone with my thoughts," Lloyd replied.

Zane nodded before walking away.

* * *

Lloyd wandered down the mountain path until he reached a small forest that sat on the base of the mountain. Lloyd found a large stump and sat down before reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a small picture of himself with Kai, Zane, Jay, Cole, Nya and Wu.

"They were the best of times, they were the worst of times," Came a voice.

Lloyd turned to see Zane approaching.

"Zane, aren't you going to eat?" Lloyd asked.

"I am a nindroid. I do not have to eat, remember," Zane pointed out. "One would think that after all this time, you would know that."

"But what about Pixal?" Lloyd asked.

"She's busy re-cataloging the artifacts room," Zane said, before his gaze drifted to the picture. "It is odd. It seems like just yesterday that we were all still together. Jay and Cole bickering, Kai rushing into any danger…Wu."

"Yeah," Lloyd agreed.

* * *

Pixal stood in a long hallway, a notepad in her hands. It had taken Zane a few years but he had managed to construct a body for her, and an improved one at that. Whereas before her skin had been metallic and cold, now it bore the same human colors as Zane. Her hair, which before was a silver metallic color, now appeared a vibrant and vivacious red.

"Let's see," She muttered to herself as she started checking off one item at a time. "Overlord's helmet, check. Armor of Azure, check. Zane's pink robe, check."

As she continued checking items off, she noticed a strange glow coming from the ground. Then the ground began to shake.

* * *

"Or there was the time you were possessed by Morro," Zane recalled.

"Please, don't remind me of that," Lloyd replied, thought he was still smiling. The two had spent their time reminiscing about their past adventures.

"Still though, I'd give anything to go on one last adventure," Lloyd said. Then, a loud rumbling began. The ground started shaking, throwing Lloyd of the tree.

"What's going on?" Lloyd asked.

"Earthquake," Zane answered.

"But that's impossible," Lloyd said. "There aren't any fault lines here."

"The evidence points to the contrary," Zane said.

"Come on, we need to get back to the dojo," Lloyd said. The two started running up the mountain but Lloyd stopped when he noticed a figure.

"Zane, keep going, I thought I saw something," Lloyd said before splitting off to approach the figure. The figure wore a dark black cloak that covered his entire body.

"Hey," He called. "There's an earthquake; get to cover!"

The figure simply ignored him.

Lloyd approached the figure.

"Didn't you hear me?" Lloyd said, putting his hand on the figure's shoulder. The figure turned to look at him. And when he did, Lloyd could see nothing but darkness staring back at two yellow eyes shifted to stare at him. Lloyd backed up, taken aback by the figure's apparent lack of features.

"W-who…what are you?" Lloyd asked.

" _A mere traveler,"_ The Figure replied, with a dark demonic voice.

"Traveler? What are you here for?" Lloyd asked, now curious.

" _I've come to watch this world unravel,_ " The Figure stated.

"Door? What does that mean?" Lloyd asked.

" _It means that this realm has been connected,"_ Came the figure's reply.

"Connected? Connected to what? I don't understand. You're not making any sense!" Lloyd demanded.

" _Oh, you're nothing but a child, you could never possible understand_ ," The Figure replied. And then, it vanished, seemingly into thin air.

"Wait!" Lloyd called to seemingly nothing. "What are you talking about? What door?"

* * *

Within the dojo, Pixal opened her eyes and looked around.

 _It must have been an earthquake_. She processed. _But, that's impossible here._ She took a step forward only to find the ground completely gone. Pixal took a step back and stared at the ground. The floor had completely caved in. Pixal calculated about five meters had caved in. However, at the bottom of those five meters, laid a large, long, wooden door.


	3. the Prince of the Serpentine

**I own nothing**

A pale moon shone over the wide expanse of the desert. The light showed only a barren world. Save the occasional cactus, the dessert stretched out in an infinite expanse of dunes, rolling over one another like a frozen ocean. Among that sea of sand stood a towering kingdom: the City of Ouroborus. Once a buried city of stone and sand, in recent years, Ourborous has grown and expanded to become to home of the entire Serpentine people. The rebuilt Ouroborus stretched to a massive 789 square kilometers in total area. The buildings were still made of the same sand-stone. However, now, they shone with electric light generously donated by New Ninjago City. Primitively paved stone roads stretched out from the city into the vast expanse of the desert. The buildings within the city were almost identical, each a uniform color and each a uniform size. None of them stood out above any other. That was except for one.

In the middle of the city, a massive spire towered above the rest, standing out like a mighty blade piercing the sky. The royal palace of the Snake-King was built on a gigantic base, a square building reaching forty kilometers in length. The spire sat directly in the middle of the tower, with five diagonally shaped pillars keeping it stable. A massive golden image of a serpent wrapped around the pillar reaching all the way to the top. At the top, the spire flattened out to a large reception deck. It folded out into two layers. On the first layer, a marble white floor covered the ground with numerous black flower pots creating a checkerboard design on it. A set of curved stairs led to the second floor which was identical in design. The perimeter of the second floor was surrounded with silver guardrails, in-laced with gold designs. At the end of the balcony sat a gigantic fish tank though this tank was filled with aquatic serpents rather than fish. Directly in the center of the floor, an image depicting a human and a serpentine shaking hands sat inside a circular pedestal.

Typically, the balcony was empty. However, tonight, it buzzed with activity. Dozens of lamps and other lights illuminated the deck. Various people, human and serpentine stood atop the balcony. Some sat at one of the various long tables, covered in delicacies of both races. A serpentine band consisting of a violinist, pianist, and harp-player entertained the crowd. Standing in the middle of the circular dais, Skales, king of the serpentine, stood occasionally waving to a few delegates. He wore a long blue cape with an elaborate chain around his neck. Next to him, his wife, Selma, exchanged pleasantries with other humans. She wore a matching cloak and a long emerald necklace. When there was a break from the barrage of people, Skales turned to her.

"I hate this," He muttered to her, making sure that no one could hear. "I really think I'd have a better time in that tank."

"Hey, if anyone should be complaining it should be me, this is your job," Selma replied with a playful smile. "I'm just here to make sure you don't mess up."

Skales smiled with gratitude at her. He opened his mouth to say something however, he was interrupted.

"Your majesty," Came a voice. Irritated, Skales turned to face the newcomer. He put on his face of 'prepare diplomatic friendliness' ready to meet some dignitary who he would probably forget tomorrow. However, he found a familiar face instead. A hyponbrai, around 20 in human years with an elaborate design of golden scales on her hood which led down her back, gave Skales a small bow. She wore a long white gown and had a three light gold rings on both her hands and a long crescent moon necklace. She wore a white glove over her right hand.

"Ah, Alura, good to see you," Skales said, a smile forming on his face.

"And you as well your majesty," Alura replied.

"Don't forget her majesty the queen," Selma joked, though Alura seemed to take it seriously by bowing to her as well.

"Your majesty, may I ask about the prince's whereabouts? I have not seen him at the assembly," Alura asked.

"Ah yes,…the prince," Skales said, his voice faltering somewhat. "He is asleep; politics really aren't his thing."

"Ah, I see," Alura replied simply. "That's good."

The three stood awkwardly, each unable to break the deafening silence. More delegates began to approach forcing Skales to snap back to reality.

"I take my leave," Alura said, before disappearing into the crowd.

* * *

Fangtom found Acidicus staring into the massive tank, his eyes locked on a certain stripped sea serpent. He had a notepad in one hand and a pen in another.

"Fascinating," Acidicus muttered.

"What's fascinating is how you can be surrounded by people on one of the most important days in our history and still find time to poke around with fish," Fangtom commented.

"They're marine reptiles not fish," Acidicus corrected.

"Yeah, whatever," Fangtom muttered, taking a sip of his drink.

"So how's your son?" Acidicus asked, his gaze not leaving the tank.

"Oh, Jakob? Well thanks for asking," Fangtom replied. "He's not one for big political things, much rather spend his time reading whatever he can get his scales on. You should see his room, the thing's practically a library."

"A snake after my own heart," Acidicus commented. He then turned to Fangtom with a serious expression. "I hear he's rather close to the prince."

Fangtom nodded, though he hesitated to say anything. The prince was a very troubling matter among the serpentine people. His 'condition' was known throughout the kingdom, though fortunately, no outsiders knew about it.

"Jakob's becoming one of his few pillars of strength, and, as far as I'm concerned, he needs as many as he can get," Fangtom said, his voice lowering to a whisper.

"He and Lady Alura, if the rumor mill is accurate," Acidicus commented, in the same volume. "Oh, and those other two."

"Right, well Alura, was there for… you know," Fangtom said, his gaze darting over to the aforementioned serpentine, who was currently chatting it up with a human delegate. "Any luck on the cure?"

Acidicus shook his head.

"I'm not entirely sure any scientific medicines can even cure it," Acidicus replied. "I honestly believe that the best solution right now is to take him to Lloyd Garamadon and see what he can do."

"Wait, you think that this could have some kind of elemental powers type connection?" Fangtom asked. "You've never told anyone that."

"It's a weak theory, but it's the only one that makes any sense," Acidicus replied.

"Well, do you think that he'd even help?" Fangtom asked. "There's plenty of bad blood between us and the ninja not to mention the fact that Lloyd lives off in a dojo that no-one knows the location of."

Acidicus was about to respond when he noticed more people coming toward them and gave Fangtom a signal to end the conversation.

* * *

Cobra stood off to the side, watching the gathering. His left eye now possessed a long scar over it. He wore a military uniform with a calvary saber hanging from his hip. His attire from head to toe was completely black. The only thing that broke up the complete lack of color was a golden badge which was inscribed with the words: _Captain of the King's guard_ and his left arm which was completely covered in elaborate blue armor. His eyes darted from person to person, though inevitably they settled back on his brother, King Skales.

 _He's a fool_. Cobra growled mentally. _Making friends with humans, holding celebrations in their honor. They took everything from us, made war on us, locked us up, and now we break bread with them._

Cobra repeatedly resisted the urge to vomit. To him, the idea of co-operation was revolting. After everything that had passed between the two races, unity was only a distant dream, a far off illusion that was ultimately unreachable.

 _They'll never stop fearing us. And I'll never forgive them._ Cobra growled. He reached his hand out and felt the hilt of his calvary saber. For a moment, Cobra honestly considered pulling out his blade and putting an end to this nonsense. But then, his eyes fell on Skales. Cobra knew that this peace was foolish, but it was his duty to obey the king above all else.

"Hello there."

Cobra broke out of his thoughts and turned to see Alura standing next to him. Cobra ignored her, hoping she would go away, though it had no effect.

"I do not believe we've formally met before," Alura said.

"That will have to wait," Cobra replied briskly. "I'm on guard duty, you should go back to the delegates."

"And leave the safety of the captain of the guard?" Alura replied coyly.

Cobra rolled his eyes in annoyance before turning back to the crowd.

"I am…," Alura began but Cobra quickly interrupted her.

"Lady Alura, attendant and personal retainer of her majesty, Queen Selma," Cobra replied simply. "I know who you are."

"Yes," Alura replied simply. "But we've met before. It was the day of…"

Alura stopped unable to continue.

"The Day of the Golden Master's defeat," Cobra finished for her. "Yes, I remember you. If it hadn't been for you, I fear what may have happened to the prince."

"That honor belongs far more to you than me," Alura commented, her gaze shifting to the armor covering Cobra's arm.

* * *

 _How…how could this be?_ Cole wondered as he took a weary breath. Sweat covered his brow and his eyes were becoming blurry. _I'm the master of earth, I've fought skeletons, the Great Devourer, the Overlord, cultists, I even turned into a ghost. How can I be defeated so easily?_

"Hey, slowpoke, we're almost at the top," Came a voice from a few stairs above him. Cole looked up to see a man with long unkempt black hair and green eyes, he wore a solid black suit and a red tie. Standing next to him, a heavy-set man with blond hair, a scraggly collection of facial hair and green eyes stood next to him. He wore a black military suit with a set of daggers attached to either hip. Cole had donned the same attire, though he had traded the knives for his scythe.

"Or is this too much for the legendary ninja?" The military man taunted.

"Oh yeah Libertus…just…you wait til…I get up there," Cole panted, before muttering under his breath. "This place is worse than Borg Tower."

"Ha, hear that President Lorie? The man who saved the world, bested by stairs," Libertus joked.

"I told you that you should have done those squats," Lorie said, with a playful twinkle in his eyes. "Come on, we're almost there."

"Why can't there just be an elevator?" Cole moaned before pulling himself up and marching up the stair-case. When they reached the top, the entire gathering seemed to face them and let lose a barrage of claps.

"Talk about a reception," Libertus muttered under his breath.

The gathering split in two, parting like a vast ocean to make way for a single person: King Skales. Cole could not help but tense up at the sight of Skales.

"President Loire, you grace us with your presence," Skales said as he approached the party.

"Ah, it's nothing your majesty," Lorie responded. "If anything, I should be thanking you. This whole dinner thing is pretty big of you."

"Nothing is too big to celebrate the anniversary of our peace treaty," Skales replied. Cole watched suspiciously as Skales and Lorie wandered off into the crowd, talking together.

"Well, I'm going to get a drink," Libertus announced. "Care to come."

"Aren't you worried about Lorie?" Cole asked, still watching Skales and Lorie like a hawk.

"Eh, what's the worst that could happen?" Libertus replied.

Cole just shook his head in annoyance. Clearly, Libertus hadn't been around for the great serpentine invasion.

* * *

Lorie and Skales had wandered away from the crowd, standing on the edge of the deck, staring out across the vast expanse of the desert.

"So," Lorie began. "I haven't seen your son around?" I mean, I've been here for like five days and I only spotted him once, from across the hallway. I really wanna meet Junior."

"Oh, those were the days," Skales said wishfully.

"What do ya mean?" Lorie asked.

"He calls himself Noctis now, Noct for short," Skales replied.

"Why Noctis?" Lorie asked.

"It's his middle name," Skales explained. "Skales Noctis Hyponbrai Jr."

"Oh. So he's hit the rebellious phase," Lorie said. "No more cute smiles and innocence, just angst and 'you don't get me.' "

Skales grimaced at Lorie's words. That was not exactly what was wrong with Noctis, but Skales could not tell Lorie what was really going on with Noctis.

"Something like that," Skales said simply. "I think he's just trying to find an identity other than the king's son."

"Eh, don't worry about it," Lorie said, dismissively. "They grow out of it, trust me. My son Squall, oh man did he have issues. We fought a lot, but we patched things up in the end."

"That's not really what's happening," Skales said. "If anything, Noctis is angry at himself. He thinks he's a burden or something like that. It's my fault really."

"No, it isn't," Lorie comforted. "Kids just go through phases, that's all."

"No, I should have been there more when he was young," Skales said. "But everything happened so fast, Pythor, the Devourer, becoming king. I tried to spend time with him but I had so many responsibilities… I feel like …I, I….,"

Skales felt a hand on his back.

"Hey, it's not your fault," Lorie said. "Now come on, it's a celebration, smile a little."

* * *

Cole leaned on the railing of the deck, his eyes still focused on the two heads of state. _What are they talking about?_ Cole wondered. He tried to overhear what they were saying. Cole knew, he just knew, that Skales was up to something. Twenty years of silence and then, poof, an invitation to the capital, where practically no human went ever.

"You know, I believe eavesdropping is considered rude," Came a voice. Taken completely off guard, Cole turned around to see someone standing right behind him. He was a middle aged man with long reddish-violet hair, bright amber eyes, an unshaven chin, and strong facial features. He wore a long black coat with white and grey trim; his trousers matched his trim. He wore a small red scarf around his neck and a grey and white hood and mantle on his shoulders. He wore a pair of fingerless gloves with a glass of wine in each hand.

"Though, I'd really be one to talk on that regard," He finished.

"Hey, I wasn't eavesdropping," Cole defended himself. "I'm President Lorie's bodyguard. It's my job."

"But of course, forgive my accusation," The man replied, offering a glass to Cole. Cole took the wine, though he inspected it for a moment.

"Such an interesting culture, wouldn't you say?" The man said, turning to face the desert. "And so friendly too."

"Yeah sure, friendly," Cole scoffed.

"Well, that seems rather ungrateful," The man commented, taking a sip of his drink.

"Apparently, you've never fought them," Cole replied. "Guess you weren't there when they tried to unleash the Great Devourer."

"And you were?" The man asked.

"I'm one of the guys who stopped it," Cole said. "Cole, master of earth."

The man gave him a surprised look.

"Well, I must say, this is quite the pleasant surprise," He said, extending a hand.

Cole took it and shook before asking.

"And you are?"

"A man of no consequence," The man replied with a small bow.

"How cryptic," Cole muttered.

"Still though, one must admire their virtues nonetheless," The man continued turning back to the city which seemed to glow with all the lights of the houses. "After all, there are few communities, so united, so reliant on each other. And so dedicated to their king."

"You sure that's such a good thing?" Cole remarked, stealing a wary glance at Skales.

"And why ever not?" The man said. "Though, I'm much more impressed with their concern for their prince."

"What do you mean?" Skales asked.

"On the back of every serpentine coin is written 'health to the prince.' Rather curious, is it not?" The man explained. He then reached into his pocket and pulled something out.

He threw it at Cole, who caught it in mid-air. Cole examined the object. It was a Serpentine coin, made of copper. One side depicted the city of Ororborus. The other showed a picture of what appeared to be a serpentine cradling a child, and above it was written "Health to the prince." When Cole looked up, he found that the man had vanished.

Then, the lights began to flicker.

* * *

Skales looked around as the electronic lights began to flicker on and off.

"Oh no," He muttered under his breath.

"Hey, what's going on-" Lorie began only to be interrupted as the lightbulbs exploded.

* * *

Alura and Cobra exchanged worried looks.

"It's him," Alura muttered. "Noctis."

"Quick, we need to get you to him," He said. The two started running toward the stairs.

Skales caught the movement of Cobra and Alura. He knew where they were heading. He then turned to Lorie.

"I-you have to excuse me," Skales said.

He started slithering toward the stairs. He was quickly joined by Selma and Fangtom on either side.

* * *

Cole looked out over the balcony and found that the lights in the city were beginning to flicker on and off, and then go out one by one.

"What is going on?" He muttered to himself.

He then turned and saw Skales, his wife, Fangtom, and two other serpentine Cole did not recognize heading down-stairs.

"Where are they going?" Cole wondered to himself, before beginning to follow them.

* * *

Jakob Fangpyre stood on a stool looking through his bookcase, one of many. He was nearly identical to his father, sans the two heads, with the same scale patterns on his body. He did however, wear a pair of glasses with a dark purple suit.

"Let's see," He muttered to himself as he started looking through his collection.

"Aha!" He declared as he pulled out _The History of the Dragoon War vol. 3_. He climbed down the ladder. He went to sit in a chair when his reading lamp started flickering on and off.

"Noct, you have the worst timing," He muttered.

Skales and his group raced down a hallway headed toward the royal bedchambers. As they got closer, they noticed a dark fog around the room. They stopped at a single wooden door.

"Noctis, Noctis, open up it's me!" Selma said, pounding on the door.

"He can't hear you," Came Jakob's voice as he run up from the opposite direction. "We need to get in there."

"Everyone stand back," Cobra declared. He gave the door a forceful kick, knocking it off its hinges. The group ran into the room to find Noctis laying on his bed. He violently turned over and over. A dark glow came from his closed eyes. In each hand, he held a dark weapon, seemingly made of pure blackness. Though he was asleep, his face was crunched up as though in fear.

"Quick, hold him down," Alura commanded, taking control as Skales and Selma stood helpless, watching their son. Cobra ran to the prince's right side and Jakob his left, each grabbing his arms.

Alura then approached him. She out-stretched her arms and a yellow glow began to appear from her hands. She placed her hands on his head and chest.

"It's alright Noctis, we're here, your safe," She whispered, as the glow from her hands began to increase. As it did, Noctis began to calm down. The two weapons vanished from his hands and the dark glow faded.

He opened his eyes and yawned as though nothing had happened. He looked up at Alura and gave a startled yelp.

"Oh, hey Alura," He said, surprised by her presence. "What are you doing here?"

Then, he started to look around the room, realizing who was there and their expressions.

His expression darkened and he muttered.

"It happened again, didn't it?"

* * *

Cole watched from the shadows, his mouth agap.

 _What was that_? He wondered.


	4. Curse of the Prince

**Happy New Year everyone and to celebrate the new year here's a new chapter!**

 **Okay, so just to clarify, Skales Noctis Jr. is not supposed to be Noctis Lucis Caelum from Final Fantasy. He is based on FF Noctis but will not be a clone of that character. Also I own nothing.**

Acidicus sat in a plush velvet chair with golden studded arm-rests. Across from him, Prince Noctis was lounging in a similar chair, with Alura sitting in a black leather armchair across to the left. Noctis' scales were the same design as his father's. In fact, Noctis looked almost identical to his father in terms of his physical appearance. He wore a black fingerless glove-let on his left hand. Acidicus and Alura had dispensed with their clothes, which had been a formality for the humans. Though, Alura had kept her necklace.

"So, Prince Noctis. Would you like to tell me what you saw in your dream last night?" Acidicus asked, after a moment of silence.

"Dunno really," Noctis replied, simply.

"Well, could you describe it to me?" Acidicus pressed.

"Nothing really happened," Noctis replied. "Look we've been through this stick before I have nightmares, the city gets fried and then we have this little 'therapy session."

"Noctis. Just answer him please," Alura said, her voice gentle. Noctis let out a breath before straightening up. He looked down at the ground, his hands clasped together.

"I was in a field, at night. The field was burning and all the rivers were the color of blood. I started to walk forward. In the sky there was a…a symbol," Noctis began, his voice becoming shaky as he continued.

"This symbol?" Acidicus asked. He held up a picture. This was an old picture, drawn in crayon with ripped edges. The picture showed a large heart with a spiked x through the middle and a fuer-de-lues design on the bottom. Noctis had drawn that picture when he first started having these dreams.

"Yeah, that," Noctis affirmed. Acidicus motioned for Noctis to continue.

"And I reached a door, jet black with jewels for handles and that same symbol on it. I opened the door and walked through. When I exited, I was in a big city."

"Do you know which city?" Acidicus asked.

"N-no. It wasn't our city. It looked human," Noctis replied, before continuing. "There were men in armor, staring at me. The armor had the symbol on it. They all had guns or swords or something. I could feel their fear. Then, they all started shooting at me."

"The bullets didn't hurt you?" Acidicus asked.

"No. They never do," Noctis replied, his hands shaking. "I walked right into their ranks and…and started to…"

Acidicus and Alura looked down and noticed a black blade had formed in his right hand and his left hand was glowing red under the glove-let.

"We can skip that part," Acidicus said, trying to keep his voice even. "What happened next?"

"A-after that, the whole city went black. All the lights turned off. Then, creatures started to appear," Noctis said, his eyes attaining a faint purple glow. "Horrible monsters, with darkness all around them and yellow eyes."

"Noctis, if you want to stop, we can," Alura advised, but her words seemed to pass right by him.

"They started to chase me. So I ran," Noctis said, an axe appearing in his left hand.

"Prince Noctis. That's enough for now," Acidicus said. However, the prince continued.

"I found another door and when I opened it. I was in a dark room," Noctis said, his eyes beginning to fully glow. "I saw a figure in a brown robe and on the floor was…was… F-Father…"

Alura put her hand on Noctis, a faint yellow light emanating from her palm. The dark glow emanating from both his eyes and palms suddenly vanished. The weapons vanished as well.

"Noctis, it's over now. You're safe here," She whispered gently.

Noctis gave her a thankful look before standing up.

"Can I go now?" He asked, shaking off his previous distress.

"Of course," Acidicus replied. He then reached into his desk and pulled out a well-wore notepad. "Though one more thing. Did you hear any voices this time?"

"Oh right, the voices. My favorite part," Noctis muttered under his breath. " _The forgotten king awakens. Dawn to suffer and the light expire. The World of night shall bring the shadow._ That's what I heard."

"I see and the voice was the same?" Acidicus asked.

"Yeah. Can I leave now?" He asked.

Acidicus nodded as he started to write down the words. Noctis briskly walked out of the room, leaving Alura and Acidicus alone in the room.

Once Acidicus had finished Alura spoke up.

"I'm not sure how much more of this he can take," Alura commented, her voice concerned by still reserved and calm. "The nightmares, the incidents, the constant questioning, it's starting to ware on him. Do you think you're close to any kind of conclusion?"

"If I was even remotely close to even a general hypothesis, I would be running up and down the halls yelling for joy," Acidicus replied, his voice tinged with bitter sarcasm. "At this point, I'm not sure there's anything I can do."

"Well, we mustn't submit to hopelessness," Alura said. Acidicus nodded his head in agreement though the weary look in his eyes implied the sentiment was not shared.

"But I think, I've found something of a pattern to how the dream relates to the incidents at night. Not that it's much help but it's better than nothing." Acidicus said, changing the subject.

Alura immediately fixated her attention on the venomari general.

"He dreams of the soldiers first, so he also conjures the weapons first. Then, when the lights in the dream city go out, the electricity starts to spark in the waking world," Acidicus explained.

"Oh. Do you think that will help?" Alura asked.

"Possibly but I can't say how much," Acidicus replied. "You can go now Lady Alura. But before you do I have a question."

Alura stood up but kept her eyes on Acidicus.

"What did you dream last night?" Acidicus questioned.

"It's always the same dream. Noctis and I with our friends in a bright world of light." Alura said, a smile forming on her face. "It's a dream I desperately wish would come to pass."

"As do I," Acidicus commented. "And the voices?"

" _The figure is cursed by sleep lies in the darkness. The light to awaken the dawn and shadow to fade. The night and day shall find their peace,_ " Alura replied.

* * *

Cole, Libertus, and President Lorie stood in the main dining hall of the castle, waiting for King Skales to join them. Cole looked around as various serpentine servants began replacing light-bulbs. They swept up the broken glass and replaced the bulbs as if nothing was out of the ordinary.

"Wow, that musta been some electrical storm last night," President Lorie commented. "Knocked out all the lights."

"Yeah," Cole muttered under his breath. The electrical storm was the story that Skales had told when he returned to reception deck last night. However, Cole knew the truth. There was something going on with Skales' son, something dangerous. _But how? What kind of power could the serpentine be hiding?_ Cole wondered.

From no-where, a rock hit Cole's shoulder. He spun around to see the 'man-of-no-consequence' from last night, leaning against the doorway. A cocky smirk on his face, he nodded his head in a motion for Cole to come with him. Excusing himself, Cole approached the man warily. The man retreated to outside the door, forcing Cole to lose sight of President Lorie.

"Quite the electrical storm indeed," The mysterious stranger said once the two were alone.

"What do you want?" Cole asked, suspiciously.

"Oh, I'm in desperate need of something to talk about," The man replied, feigning despair. "Politics can get so boring."

"If you're so desperate, go chat up a maid. I have better things to be doing right now," Cole snapped, irritated by the distraction. He turned to walk back to President Lorie, when he stopped in his tracks as the man spoke.

"Ah, I see. Very well, shame though, I was hoping we could continue our discussion about the prince and his mysterious ailment."

Cole turned back around and looked at him.

"What ailment?" Cole asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Merely speculation on my part," The man replied, a twinkle in his amber eyes. "Though it would explain why the people are so concerned. After all, you don't send get-well soon cards to a healthy man."

"Get-well cards?" Cole asked.

"My gift," The man replied, though he added in mock offense. "Or did you forget so soon?"

Immediately, Cole reached into his pocket and brought out the coin.

"It might also intrigue you to know that the prince is currently in the middle of a therapy session with Acidicus, general of Venomari, the tribe known for their expertise in medicinal arts," The man replied. "He must be quite sick, though rumor has it that his illness is not of an earthly nature."

Cole furrowed his brows remembering the events he witnessed last night. _If the prince has a condition that can do this much damage when he's asleep, what can he do when he's awake._ Cole thought. Then a horrible idea struck him, the idea similar events could have resulted in the birth of Lord Garamadon.

"Is it possible that he was hit with the venom of the Great Devourer?" Cole muttered to himself.

"Well, if you excuse me, I must be off," The man said, sauntering off.

"What? Where do you think you're going?" Cole asked.

"Unfortunately, I'm a very busy man," The man said, flippantly. "Good luck with your snake problem."

* * *

Skales slithered in a circle, anxiously waiting for Acidicus to return. Selma, Fangtom, Jakob, and Skalidor, who had been on guard duty for the events of last night, sat in a circle around him.

"Skales dear, please stop pacing," Selmas asked, after a moment.

"I would agree with her, your majesty. Multiple studies show that pacing increases stress, which leads to a decreased life span," Jakob put in, adding immediately afterword. "According the same studies, husbands who listen to their wives also experience an increased life span."

This resulted in a chuckle from every else. Jakob gave the others a confused look, before shrugging it off.

A knock at the door interrupted the group.

"Ah, that must be Acidicus," Selma guessed.

Skales slithered to the door and quickly swung it open only to find Noctis standing in the doorway. His arms were slack against his sides and his eyes gazed down at the ground.

"Oh, Noctis. W-what a surprise," Skales said, taken aback.

"Hello, Father," Noctis replied, half-whispering.

The entire room stood up simultaneously. One could have heard a pin drop as Noctis stood in the open door.

"May I come in?" He asked after a seeming eternity of silence.

"Of course," Skales said, trying to regain his composure. "You see we were just…"

"Talking about me, I know," Noctis said, his eyes not leaving the floor. "I don't mind."

Noctis then took a knee before his father, his head still bowed.

"Your majesty, I would like to apologize for last night," Noctis began, his voice filled with shame. "I understand that I ruined the peace celebration. That was inexcusable."

"Noctis. There's no reason to apologize," Skales began as Noctis stood back up. "It's not your fault, besides our guests hardly noticed a thing. I told them it was an electric storm, no harm done."

Skales reached his hand out to place it on his son's shoulder. However, Noctis pulled away. Turning to leave, he said.

"That's not the point, it shouldn't be happening,"

"I won't take any more of your time," He muttered as he walked out.

The gathered snakes looked at each other with a collective look of sorrow. All except Jakob, who adjusted his glasses before following Noctis. Skales let out a defeated sigh. _Why can't he see that we love him?_ He wondered.

* * *

Jakob found Noctis sitting on the edge of the border wall, starting out into the endless desert. Jakob shook his head before sitting next to the prince.

"Well, that certainly could've gone worse," Jakob commented, keeping his voice even.

"How?" Noctis asked, picking up a stone and hurling it across into the desert.

"Well, for starters, that fact no-one spontaneously combusted from the tension is a veritable miracle," Jakob replied matter-of-factly. This elicited a laugh from Noctis, which left Jakob both confused and relieved. After eventually stopping, Noctis' face turned serious.

"Hey Jakob, I have a question and I need you to be completely honest with me," Noctis began.

"Noct, when am I not completely honest with you?" Jakob pointed out.

"Fair point," Noctis said, before continuing. "Maybe I should just leave?"

Jakob looked intensely at Noctis but did not say anything.

"I think it would probably be for the best," Noctis continued. "I mean there's an entire nation just caught up with me and all I do is cause trouble."

"Hmm, you really think that you're the cause of all the world's problems don't you, Noct," Jakob said, smiling to himself. "The sun still sets even without you around."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Noctis asked.

"It means that you'd only cause more harm than good," Jakob explained. "Just stop and imagine the pain your departure would cause your parents. And what about Alura? Don't you think that she'd search the entire world to find you. And then there's the most important person to think of."

"Who's that?" Noctis asked.

"Myself, of course," Jakob replied, with a smile. "After all, you're the first friend I've had who isn't a hardback edition."

"Haha. So what does that make me? Paperback?" Noctis joked a smile forming on his face.

"Perhaps, though you'd doubtless be a limited edition copy," Jakob replied, joining in the banter.

* * *

Cobra stood off to the side of the human delegation, his hand occasionally grasping the hilt of his sword. His eyes constantly darting from one to another. He knew that they were planning something, something dangerous. Humans couldn't be trusted, that was a fact. And Cobra wasn't going to let anything surprise him.

"Hello stranger," Came a familiar voice. Cobra whirled around to see Skales, standing behind him.

"You know, for a Captain of the Guard you're taken 'of-guard' quite a lot," Skales commented.

Cobra bowed in response.

"Your majesty, what do you need of me?" He asked.

"Stand up, Cobra. I'm here as your brother, not your king. I wanted to ask you a favor," Skales began. "I worried about Noctis. I've never been enough for him. And I'm beginning to think that Jakob and Alura aren't enough to help him. He seems to be getting worse."

"His condition is worsening?" Cobra asked, his concern rising.

"No, it's his spirit. I'm not sure how much longer he can endure this darkness," Skales replied. "I'm afraid that he won't be able to endure it any longer. And when that time comes maybe I won't be enough."

"All right then, what's this favor?" Cobra inquired.

"Please, if that ever happen be there for him. You were able to save him all those years ago. When the crown threatened to destroy him and Alura, you saved them both," Skales replied, putting his hand on his adopted brother's shoulder. "I know it cost your arm but..."

"I would sacrifice my entire being for his majesty, the prince," Cobra said, bowing his head.

From behind a corner, Cole listened to the conversation with rapt interest. ' _Destroyed by the crown'_ _what does that mean?_ Cole wondered. Unless, they meant it literally. _I have to find that crown, and find out what's going on._ He resolved.

* * *

A small yellow car speed along the rocky road that led to the city of Oroborus. As it approached, two guards, a constricti and a fangpyre exchanged curious glances.

"Eh, didn't all the guests arrive already?" The fangpyre asked.

"Thought so. That's what General Skalidor said," The other replied. As the car slowed to a stop at the boarder check point, the window rolled down and a human woman with long blonde hair and sun-glasses leaned out of the passenger seat.

"Please state your business in the city," The Constricti said.

She lowered her sunglasses and adopted a cocky smile.

"We're here for the prince."


	5. Mystery of the Crystals

**Once again, I own nothing.**

Lloyd, Zane, Dareth, and P.I.X.A.L. stared into the large crevasse in the ground perplexed by the strange object at the bottom. The 'door' was two meters long and made of dark ebony wood with faded gold markings all around the edges.

"Ya know, it kinda looks like a coffin," Dareth pointed out.

"But I detect no biological mater within," Pixal counteracted.

"So it's empty?" Lloyd asked.

"No, I am detecting a strange reading from within," Zane stated.

"Yes, I detect it as well, though I cannot identify what exactly it is," P.I.X.A.L added.

"Well, there's only one way to find out," Lloyd said, before jumping into the pit and sliding down the wall of the hole, stopping right before the door.

"Wait, are you sure that's a good idea?" Dareth asked. "I mean in, like, every movie scientists always find some super-duper evil mysterious thing that was buried for, like, a billion years and open it and unleash an evil monster or something."

"Technically, we're not scientists," Zane pointed out.

"Doesn't matter! We all know that if you find an ancient buried secret then you should probably keep it secret," Dareth argued.

However, all these words were lost on Lloyd as he placed his hand on the wood door and brushed aside the dust to reveal a faint inscription on the top. Lloyd stared at it intently but could only make out five words. _Open… word of … First Master_.

"Hey guys, I think this belonged to the First Spinjitizu Master," Lloyd called up. "I'm going to see what's inside."

"Don't say I didn't warn you!" Dareth called down.

Lloyd rolled his eyes before prying off the top of the door. It revealed a long cylindrical object covered in a black cloth. A strange symbol resembling a heart with an x through it stuck out directly in the middle of the cloth. Lloyd stared down at the cloth for a moment before pulling it off the object. A 2 meter long nearly transparent crystal laid at the bottom of the coffin. It shown with a brilliant light, which was odd for something that must have spent a millennia underground. Lloyd extended a hand to touch it, when suddenly his head began to hurt.

"Lloyd, what's wrong?" Zane called down as Lloyd started to recoil in pain.

 _Lloyd! Don't touch it!_ Came a voice.

"W-who said that?" Lloyd asked, putting his hands on his head. His vision was becoming blurry as the throbbing in his skull increased. Then everything faded to black.

* * *

Lloyd looked around, though all he could see was darkness.

"W-where am I?" He asked.

"Hello, Lloyd," Came the familiar voice. _I-it can't be_. Lloyd thought in shock. He spun around to see Sensei Wu.

"S-Sensei…" Lloyd whispered, in shock.

"It's good to see you," Wu said, a bitter-sweet smile on his face.

"Sensei!" Lloyd called before running into his uncle, almost knocking him over. Lloyd embraced Wu in a crushing hug.

"It's been too long, Lloyd," Wu whispered, as he closed his arms around him. After a moment, Lloyd took a step back.

"But Sensei, how am I here, you're…you…" Lloyd faltered.

"Dead?" Wu guessed.

"Yeah," Lloyd said, his smile fading.

"Not quite," Wu put in, a mischievous grin on his face. Lloyd looked up, mouth agape.

"But I-we saw you…" Lloyd began.

"Listen, Lloyd," Wu began. "It's not what you think. I'm in another realm. I don't know how I got here but I've been trying to reach you for the past ten years to warn you."

"Forget about that. We have to save you. Can you tell me anything about where you are," Lloyd said.

"That's not important, Lloyd! Listen, there's a darkness coming. That crystal, it's a realm crystal," Wu began.

"Then, we can use it to find you and…" Lloyd began.

"No!" Wu interjected sharply. "It's much more powerful and dangerous than the one you encountered. Trying to use it could have serious consequences. Listen, there's a darkness coming. They're going to use the Crystals. You hav-"

Wu suddenly stopped, his face contorting as though he was being choked.

"Sensei, what's wrong? Who's they?" Lloyd asked, concern creeping in his face.

"Now, now, now, no telling," Came an almost demonic voice. Lloyd turned around to see a human figure covered in darkness with glowing yellow eyes. Lloyd couldn't make out much about the figure except it was probably male, tall, and seemed to wear a coat. His right hand was extended as though in a choking motion.

"Hey, whoever you are, back off," Lloyd warned. The figure merely tilted its head as though it was smiling. Lloyd charged toward the figure and unleashed a powerful punch. However, just before Lloyd's strike made contact, the figure vanished. Lloyd looked around before finding the figure, now standing next to Wu, his hand around his neck. The figure then extended his other hand and snapped his fingers, causing a massive crevasse to form in the ground, dragging Lloyd into the ground.

"Sensei!"

* * *

Lloyd awoke to find himself in his bed. He looked around to see P.I.X.A.L., Zane and Dareth all standing around him.

"Lloyd, are you okay?" Zane asked.

"I'm fine, where's the crystal?" Lloyd replied abruptly.

"Still down in the basement," P.I.X.A.L. replied. "I've given the students strict instructions not to go down there."

"Good," Lloyd said, pulling himself out of his bed.

"Hey, easy there tiger, you might hurt yourself," Dareth warned.

"There's no time," Lloyd said, pulling himself up. "P.I.X.A.L., can you search for anything relating to that image on the cloth. Zane, try to get Kai, Jay, Nya and Cole."

"Why?" Zane asked.

"Because, Sensei Wu is still alive!"

* * *

Jay Walker stared down at the watch in his hands. The interior mechanism was shattered, the hands were bent completely out of shape, the band completely snapped and the rigging completely out of wack, in other words an easy fix. Jay heard footsteps approaching and turned to see his wife Nya walking back from the scrapyard.

"Hi, honey," She said, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "You working on Mr. Villier's watch, again?"

"Yeah, this time he 'tripped down the stairs.' I'm just about to start cracking this baby open," Jay replied. "How's the Jalopy lookin'?"

"Well, she'll need a new radiator cap but she'll be purring in no time," Nya replied.

"Well, that's good to hear, Dad would've killed me if anything would have happened to it," Jay joked.

"Good thing you've got me here to protect you," Nya said, putting her hand around Jay's shoulder. As she did, she couldn't help but glance down at Jay's right hand. Where there had once been warm flesh, now a metallic skeleton-like hand rested. The hand fidgeted and twitched like a real hand, courtesy of Zane's knowledge of nindroid technology, but it wasn't the real thing. Jay looked up and noticed his wife's staring.

"Sorry, I shouldn't," Nya apologized, looking away.

"It's okay, I still haven't gotten used to it either," Jay said. "Seems like I would after all these years but…"

A massive blast that sounded almost like a gunshot interrupted the two. They turned to see a car arrive in the scrap-lot, smoke coming out of the gas pipe. A man jumped out of the car and ran around to the back, trying to wave away the smoke.

Jay stood up, putting a leather glove over his mechanical hand.

"Here, mind if I take care of this one, watches get kinda boring after a while," Jay offered.

"Sure, I'll head in and make myself some lemonade," Nya replied, wiping the sweat from her forehead.

"Make sure to save me some," Jay called after her, before walking to the car.

The car was a bright white convertible with a faded red strip going down the middle. Jay could tell just from a glance that the engine needed tuning, and the tires replacing. The apparent owner of the car, who was currently coughing up a fit after accidently breathing in the smoke of the car, was a tall, lean man of early thirties with a chinstrap beard, pushed back black hair with a single forelock hanging in front of his hazel eyes. He wore a pair of rectangular glasses, a black suit, and a red shirt underneath.

"Hi, welcome to Walker's Scrap and Repair. How can I help?" Jay asked.

"Huh. Oh, hi there, Maes Hughes, how's it going?" The man introduced himself, extending a hand.

"Pretty good, Jay Walker," Jay replied, shaking his hand. "So, can I help you with anything, Mr. Hughes?"

"Well, you see it's my car," Hughes began. "See she's always worked great, but, I dunno. She's just started acting up a bit."

"Well, how long have you had it?" Jay asked.

Hughes started counting on his fingers before asking.

"What day is it?"

"Um, Tuesday," Jay replied.

"Forty years, six months, and twelve days," Hughes replied.

"Forty years?" Jay repeated.

"Yeah, it was my dad's but he let me have it when I turned twenty-one," Hughes replied, proudly. "My wife thinks we should get a new one, but I can't just get rid of the ol' girl, she's like family."

"Well, how long has it been doing this?" Jay asked, trying to recover from the shock of the car's age."

Hughes responded by counting on his fingers before saying.

"Three weeks."

"…Okay, so what made you think that now you should have her inspected," Jay asked, almost afraid of the answer.

"Oh, well you see, I was going to leave it alone but then Elicia got the lead role in a new play," Hughes explained. "And I knew I couldn't show up with the car looking like this. This pumpkin must turn into a beautiful carriage for my darling and then I saw a coupon for you people in the newspaper, and came here."

"Right, and who's Elicia?" Jay asked.

"WHY ONLY THE MOST PERFECT, ADORABLE, BEAUTIFUL, LITTLE GIRL TO EVER GRACE THE WORLD WITH HER EXISTENCE!" Hughes exclaimed, grabbing Jay by the neck, pulling him uncomfortably close to him, and pulling out his phone. Hughes turned it to show the screensaver, which was a picture of a little girl, about three years old with pigtails and green eyes.

"SEE! ISN'T SHE JUST THE CUTEST LITTLE DARLING YOU'VE EVER SEEN?" Hughes said, his eyes glazed over with pride.

"*cough* you're hurting my neck!" Jay protested.

"OH BUT WHAT'S SLIGHT NECK DISCOMFORT WHEN IN SIGHT OF THE MOST AMAZING YOUNG LADY A FATHER COULD CALL HIS OWN!" Hughes continued. "HERE I BET YOU WANNA SEE MORE PICTURES OF HER!"

"I can't breathe!" Jay protested.

"I THOUGHT SO!" Hughes said, giddily opening his photo album to show even more pictures of his daughter.

Nya looked out the window to see the odd sight of her husband, the master of lightning, being strangled by an overzealous father. She started laughing when the phone rang. Grabbing her lemonade in her left hand, she picked up the phone with her right.

"Hi, Zane, you are not gonna believe what I'm looking at right now," Nya began. However, she was interrupted before she could begin. As Zane spoke, Nya's eyes widened and she dropped her glass.

* * *

"Look, Lloyd, how do we know that the crystal didn't mess with your head," Dareth pointed out.

"I saw him," Lloyd argued back. "Sensei's still alive and he's in danger."

"I've contacted Jay and Nya, but I've been unable to reach Cole," Zane said, walking back into the room.

"What about Kai?" Lloyd asked.

"No luck, either. I believe that he's still hunting down the Devourer's Circle," Zane said.

"Well, keep trying," Lloyd said, before turning to P.I.X.A.L., who was currently plugged into a massive computer terminal on the wall. "P.I.X.A.L., anything about that symbol?"

"No, Lloyd, I cannot find…wait I think I've found something," P.I.X.A.L. said, her eyes glowing with information processing. "This is odd. The information seems to be encrypted. Attempting to decipher."

Suddenly, P.I.X.A.L. let out a scream of pain. Her eyes turned an emergency red. Zane immediately ran over to her and disconnected her from the terminal.

"P.I.X.A.L. what is it?" Zane asked distressed. P.I.X.A.L. looked up at Zane dazed for a moment.

"I-I found something…well, I almost did. Then something blocked me," P.I.X.A.L. replied.

"What do you mean something blocked you?" Lloyd inquired.

"An encryption, a very heavy encryption. It erased any knowledge I might have downloaded from online," P.I.X.A.L. said.

"So what, like hackers, maybe it was a phoney website," Dareth suggested.

"No, the information was from the official records of New Ninjago Government Operations," P.I.X.A.L. replied.

"Okay, what the heck is going on!" Dareth exclaimed.

"Dunno, I just wish Kai was here," Lloyd commented, his brow furrowing.

* * *

Kai sat quietly in small café, in the middle of a forest. His ninja garb was hidden underneath a brown overcoat, but he was still armed to the teeth. His eyes were focused on a figure in a dark cloak the covered his entire body.

"Will there be anything else, sir?" Came a voice. Kai looked up to see the waitress, a woman in her mid-twenties with blonde hair and almost red eyes. She had blonde hair worn in a clip barret which resembled a bird's tail, though her bangs did fall over her left eye. She wasn't dressed like a waiter, wearing a white cargo jacket over a black sleeveless turtleneck top and rugged jeans.

"I'm fine, thanks," Kai said. The waitress left and Kai noticed that the hooded figure was now leaving. Quickly throwing money on the table, Kai started stealthily following the hooded figure. As Kai continued his trail, the figure came to a large cavern. Kai waited until the figure had disappeared into the shadows before following. Kai crept into the mouth of the cave and followed the footsteps of the hooded figure. As he continued, he noticed the cloak thrown to the side and multiple footprints.

"And so my brothers, with this power we can restore Ninjago to its true rulers!" Came a voice from the center of the cave. Kai crept closer to view a group of serpentine gathered together in the center of the cave. They were all armed with various swords, spears, and axes.

"The Clan of Orborus," Kai whispered, his eyes narrowing. The Clan of Orborus was a secret sect of serpentine who had retained their hatred for humanity. Unlike the rest of the Serpentine who wanted peace, they were focused on destroying humanity and claiming Ninjago as their own. Kai and the other ninja had first encountered them soon after the battle with Sensei Yang. After beating them a few times, the other ninja had thought that the Clan of Orborus was beaten. Kai, however, had heard rumors they were active again. His eyes focused on the leader, Slithraa. He held up a small black pouch.

"We will harvest the power I have gained for us! The power to usurp the false king, and the power to restore the world to its true rulers!" He declared before pulling out the pouch to Morro's realm crystal. The serpentine cheered triumphantly, their cries echoing off the cavern walls.

"Well, looks like that's my cue," Kai said, removing his coat.

"Hey, lizard brains!" He called jumping out of this hiding place and pulling out dual swords.

"I-it's the ninja…stop him!" Slithraa ordered. Two serpentine, a constricti with an axe and a venomari with a spear, charged toward Kai. He waited until they struck at him before ducking under their attacks and slicing their weapons in half. He then kicked the two aside. A fangpyre lunged toward Kai with a war hammer ready to crush him to pieces. Kai dodged the attack before delivering a jump kick to his face.

"That all you got?" Kai taunted. A group of six warriors charged toward him, each with weapons bared. Kai responded by unleashing his spinjitzu on the group, knocking them aside. Kai then blasted a serpentine with a fireball, melting his weapon.

"Come one guys, Lloyd's students can do better than this," Kai mocked.

"Not so fast!" Came Slithraa's voice. Kai looked up and saw that he was aiming a pistol right at Kai. He started reaching for a skurikin.

"Well, I'm surprised. For a snake who hates humans, doesn't it seem a bit hypocritical to have a gun?" Kai mocked, retaining his composure.

"While I admit it does disgust me to use this human invention, that disgust will only be out-weighted by the joy I feel when you're gone from the face of this world," Slithraa replied. He then fired a shot, hitting Kai's left hand. Kai dropped the shurikin and grabbed his arm in pain.

"Did you really think I would be stupid enough to let you get a weapon?" Slithraa mocked, walking forward closer to Kai. The other serpentine started gathering around, cruel smiles forming on their faces. Kai looked up as Slithraa stood above him, the weapon aimed directly at him.

"Say goodbye ninja," Slithraa taunted. Then a gunshot rang out, and Slithraa fell over, dead, the realm crystal clattering to the ground. Kai and the other serpentine looked to the front of the cavern to find the waitress from before, a smoking gun in hand.

"What the-," Kai began. Two of the serpentine charged forward to attack, only to be quickly gunned down. The woman walked forward with a deliberate, coordinated pace, taking out any serpentine that moved against her. Keeping her weapon trained on the serpentine, she reached into her pocket and pulled out a radio.

"Alpha team, breach!" She ordered. A massive explosion rocked the cavern as dozens of soldiers wearing blue versions of Cole's uniform repelled into the fray. Kai stared around in shock as the Clan of Orborus was either taken out or forced to surrender. In the confusion, a Hyponbrai reached for the realm crystal. Kai quickly hit the serpentine with a rock before snatching the Realm Crystal.

"Don't surrender, slaughter these filth!" A Constricti barked, raising a club. However, the women quickly fired, placing two bullets in his chest.

"Bravo team, breach!" She ordered. The side wall quickly exploded and dozens more soldiers ran into the room. Within a few moments, the human forces had forced the Clan of Orborus to surrender.

Kai stood up, ignoring the pain in his arm. A uniformed soldier ran past him and gave a sharp salute to the women.

"Private first class Castum reporting Lieutenant Hawkeye," He said.

"Report," The woman said, briskly, holstering her weapon.

"The enemy has been subdued, 18 killed 43 injured, and 10 surrenders. No casualties on our side," He said.

"And the crystal?" She asked.

"Oh, you mean this?" Kai asked, holding up the Realm Crystal. The woman known as Hawkeye eyed him suspiciously before raising her weapon at him.

"Hey wait, what's that for?" He asked, shocked by her movements.

"Put the crystal down, slowly," She ordered. Kai did so and raised his hands over his head.

"You know who I am right?" He asked annoyed.

"Oh I'm quite aware, Kai," She replied. "But the better question is: how are you still alive?"

* * *

"AND THIS IS HER FIRST RIDE ON A PONY. OH, THIS IS HER WITH HER MOMMY, PERFECTION WITH PERFECTION AM I RIGHT?"

Jay had at this point tuned out Hughes' ravings, being more focused on letting air into his wind-pipe.

"AND THIS IS-" At that moment, Hughes' phone began to ring.

"Oh, it's my boss. Sorry I gotta take this," He said, releasing Jay and walking away. Jay began taking in big gulps of air.

"What's that guy's problem?" Jay wondered.

"Jay!" Came Nya's voice as she ran to him.

"What is it?" He asked, recognizing the distress in her voice.

"It's Zane, he just called. He's telling me that Wu's still alive," Nya explained.

"Wait what?" Jay asked.

"Lloyd and the others found another realm crystal, a big one," Nya began. "And then Lloyd saw a vision of Wu. He's trapped in another dimension."

"Ha! I knew the old man wouldn't go so easily!" Jay exclaimed in triumph. "Quick, we've gotta get to the temple."

"I can take you."

The two turned around to see Hughes, opening the car door.

"Sorry pal, this is important," Nya said.

"Ninja business, besides we've got our own car," Jay said.

"Hey it's alright. I'm headed there myself, my boss told me to meet him there," Hughes insisted.

"Thanks but no thanks," Jay replied. Then, Hughes let out an annoyed sigh.

"Sorry 'bout this," He said. "But I'm with the military. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes of Section 3 and my orders are to escort you to the temple. So here are your options, you can get in the car, or I can leave and come back with a fully armed battalion and make you come."

Jay and Nya exchanged worried glances.

Lloyd, P.I.X.A.L., Zane, and Dareth sat in the main room.

"So, P.I.X.A.L. are you saying that someone hacked into the government?" Lloyd asked.

"No, the virus seemed to come from the system," P.I.X.A.L. replied.

"So, what like the 'man' is in on it too?" Dareth asked.

"Well, it's obvious that someone doesn't want anyone to find out about that symbol," Lloyd said.

"And the crystals as well," Zane commented.

At that moment, there was a sharp knock on the door. Lloyd walked over to the door and opened it. He found Fredrick standing there, a concerned look on his face.

"What is it, Fredrick?" Lloyd asked, softening his tone.

"There's a man, a stranger. He let himself in and is waiting in the lounge," Fredrick explained.

"You didn't confront him?" Lloyd asked, worried one of his students might have tried to attack the stranger.

"No, we were too scared. I'm sorry, sensei," He said, looking downcast.

"Hey, it's alright. Sometimes, a ninja needs to know when to choose his fight," Lloyd said, putting a comforting hand on the child's shoulder. Lloyd then turned his attention to the others. "Dareth, take care of him and the others. Zane, P.I.X.A.L., come with me. I've got a bad feeling about this."

The three walked down the stairs and crept to the main lounge. The Lounge was where the teachers spent most of their free time. Lloyd pushed the elaborated ornamented door open just a crack to peer into the room. The room was principally orange in color, with a marble ceiling, and two matching red couches on either side of a marble table. Multiple counters stuck out of the walls, each one littered with priceless artifacts. And standing in the middle was 'the stranger.'

He was a man in the prime of his life, with dark piercing eyes, a clean-shaven face, and dark unkempt hair that fell in front of his eyes. He wore a black trench-coat with formal cloth gloves. However, Lloyd quickly noticed something more. This man was in the military. Underneath his trench-coat, he wore a bright blue overcoat with matching pants and black boots. Multiple badges and stars stood out prominently from the front of the overcoat and a gold aiguillette hung under his shoulder. The man reached out and picked up a figure from the table. Zane winced as the man threw an ancient artifact thousands of years old from hand-to-hand, as though it was rubber ball.

"Who is this guy?" Lloyd whispered under his breath.

"Well, don't be a stranger, come on in," The man said suddenly, his eyes shifting to stare right at Lloyd. He replaced the figure on the mantle as Lloyd walked into the room.

"You sure took your time," The man said, acting like Lloyd was a guest at his own dojo. Lloyd narrowed his eyes at the military man but said nothing.

"So you're Lloyd Garmadon, green ninja and savior of the world," The man made it sound like Lloyd was captain of the little league team. He motioned for Lloyd to sit but Lloyd ignored his offer, instead asking.

"And that makes you?"

"Colonel Roy Mustang, New Ninjago Special forces, division 3," He replied, sitting down on the couch, slouching back and putting his feet on the table.

"There are only 2 divisions of Special Forces," Lloyd pointed out, keeping his voice even.

"Well, it wouldn't be a secret division if everyone knew about it," Mustang said, simply.

"Why are you here?" Lloyd questioned, having had enough of Mustang's smug demeanor. The colonel sat up and stated matter-of-factly.

"I'm here to talk about that crystal."

 **Note: the three new characters are cameos from the anime series: Fullmetal Alchemist. Viewer discretion is seriously advised for that show: it can get pretty messed up.**


	6. Friends in my Heart

**Okay so I made some changes to the previous chapters because I realized I left some things out or made some mistakes. Basically: Cobra and Skales are acutally blood brothers, No serpentine's ever been to Lloyd's dojo cause it's top secret, and Alura wears a glove on her right hand. If you need further details, please see the previous chapters.**

 **Also, I got the title from the Kingdom Hearts song of the same name**

 **I own nothing.**

Alura briskly through the halls of the palace. She had just left Acidicus' chamber and was looking for Noctis. During the meeting, she had felt Noctis' anger, his anxiety, and his fear. These were emotions typical for him whenever he had an 'incident.' It worried her to no end. Noctis was not particularly emotionally secure when it came to his condition. If he was going to do anything rash, it was now. She needed to find him and quickly. Alura spotted a maid and asked.

"Excuse me, have you seen Prince Noctis?" Alura asked.

"I just saw him pass, milady," The maid replied, her eyes focused on the ground afraid to look at her social superior in the eye.

"Thank you…how did he seem?" Alura inquired.

"I-I'm sure I couldn't say, milady," The maid said, afraid she might end up expelled from the palace for insulting the prince. Alura softened her gaze and leaned in closer.

"Just between the two of us," Alura said, winking to the maid. She looked up, meeting Alura's eyes.

"H-he seemed upset, milady," The maid stated. Alura detected a small twinge of newfound confidence in the other snake.

"I see. Thank you, very much," Alura replied. The maid gave a respectful bow before hurrying off to her duties. Alura allowed herself a moment to rest before resuming her search. After interrogating a few more servants, she ascertained that Noctis had made his way to the outer wall. Trepidation growing in her heart, Alura made her way to the outer wall. There she found Noctis and Jakob sitting on the wall, laughing at one another. _It seems that my fears were for naught._ Alura thought to herself. She was about to returned to the castle when Noctis spotted her and called down.

"Hey Alura, come on up!"

"We'd greatly appreciate the company," Jakob added.

"Allow me a moment to consider my options. I can either stay down here, safe on the ground and able to find reasonable company, or join you two hooligans, sitting on the side of a ten meter high wall," Alura shouted up, coyly.

"Hey, I'll have you know that Jakob's the most reasonable person I've ever met," Noctis called down.

"Much appreciated, Noct. Even if the compliment's not mutually applicable," Jakob joked.

"What's that supposed to mean," Noctis said, faking offense.

Alura allowed herself a chuckle before climbing up to join the two.

"I must say," Alura began, upon reaching the top of the wall. "I'm quite surprised that you'd allow me to join you. I have very clear childhood memories of being excluded multiple times due to a strict 'no-girls' policy."

"Wha- I'd never!" Defended Noctis.

"Indeed. I'd not dare partake in such heinous actions," Jakob insisted, adding in a low voice. "Though, if I did, it was only at the behest of his highness, the prince."

Alura gave Noctis her best impression of a disapproving scowl.

"Hey, in my defense, you still had cooties," Noctis broke down after a moment. This resulted in the three laughing simultaneously.

"Ah, the follies of youth," Jakob reminisced.

"Excuse me, your majesty!" Called up a voice. Noctis, Jakob and Alura turned around to see an attendant standing at the bottom.

"Two guests have arrived. They claim to be here to see you!" The servant hollered. Jakob glanced over at Noctis.

"Did you invited them?" He asked.

"Hey, someone had to save you two from dying of boredom," Noctis replied, slyly.

"My hero," Alura laughed. Noctis jumped out of his sitting position before climbing down the ladder. Alura began to follow him but stopped when Jakob placed a hand on her shoulder.

"A moment, Alura?" Jakob requested, his face serious. Alura sat back down.

"Before you arrived, Noct confided in me that he was considering leaving the kingdom, permanently," Jakob said. Alura gave him a concerned look. "I managed to dissuade him for the moment but still, I'm worried."

Alura remained silent for a moment, lost in thought.

"Well, perhaps, spending time with us and the sisters will cause him to forget," Alura suggested, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Indeed. Often times, the best remedies for woes can be found in our friends," Jakob agreed, though he still looked worried.

"Hey, are you two comin' or what?" Noctis called up.

"Just a moment," Jakob replied. "One would think there's a fire, with your hurry."

"Patience is a virtue, you know," Alura added.

"Whatever!" Noctis called up.

Cole snuck through the halls of the castle, trying not to draw attention to himself. He needed to find that crown to figure out what the serpentine were playing. Cole noticed two serpentine servants, a maid and a waiter, talking in hushed voices. Pressing himself against a pillar as to avoid being seen, Cole tuned in to their conversation.

"I've heard that the prince's 'guests' have arrived again," The maid whispered. This resulted in the butler rolling his eyes.

"Why the prince even bothers to associate himself with that rabble is beyond me," The butler muttered.

"Well, it's not like we're in a position to judge his majesty," The Maid pointed out.

"Still, it's unbecoming of a prince," The butler argued, keeping his voice low but adding no small amount of empathies.

"Shh. He's coming!" The maid muttered. Cole shifted his gaze to look down the hall. _Alright Skales Jr. let's see how you've grown._ Cole thought, narrowing his vision. The first thing he spotted was a hyponbrai walking down the hall. He had patterns on his scales that led Cole to guess that this was Skales' son. Skales Jr.'s scales were a darker shade of blue and he wore a black glove on his left hand. The prince was followed by two other serpentine who Cole recognized as Alura and Jakob, Fangtom's son. As Skales Jr. walked by, the servants gave low bows, which seemed odd to Cole as nothing about this serpentine even remotely implied royalty. He walked with a casual gate and wore nothing to imply any authority or regency. Cole waited until the three had passed before stealthily trailing them. Cole followed them until they reached the main entrance of the castle.

It was a large but plain room with a short but wide staircase that led to the inside the main building. Cole noticed to his surprise two human girls standing at the bottom. One appeared to be a young woman, early twenties if Cole had to guess. She had long, loose, messy gold-blonde hair reaching to her lower back and lilac eyes. She wore an orange tank-top with a gray cargo jacket over it and matching cargo pants. Both the jacket and pants were covered with multiple personalized patches, featuring a variety of images ranging from a three bears, to a bumblebee, to a burning flower. The other was much younger, appearing to be about sixteen. She had silver eyes and shoulder length black hair, with a red ting on the ends. Black and red seemed to be a common motif in her clothes as she wore a black skirt with red fringes and a black t-shirt with red trim. A silver rose sat in the middle of her t-shirt. She wore a pair of red earphone around her neck and a satchel with a matching rose petal design. Most notably, she wore a red cloak around her neck.

 _Who are these two?_ Cole wondered. The idea that they were diplomates crossed Cole's mind, but he quickly rejected it, they were much too casually dressed to be diplomates.

"Well, well, if it isn't the outsiders," Skales Jr. called. The two immediately turned their attention to the serpentine prince and, to Cole's shock, smiled.

"Noct!" The younger said, running up the stairs. She practically jumped into the serpentine, almost dragging him to the ground. "Hi. Did ya miss me? Did ya miss me? Huh?"

"Nope," Skales Jr. replied, though the smile on his face implied otherwise.

"Well, I betchya missed this," The older shouted, pile-driving into the two. After a moment's tussle, the yellow hair girl had Skales Jr. in a headlock.

"Come on, tap out I dare ya," She teased, playfully squeezing him.

"Not happening!" Skales Jr. shouted back, adopting a mock defiance.

"Come on, Noct. You can do it!" The younger girl encouraged.

Cole stared in complete disbelief as Skales Jr., the prince of the serpentine and son of one of the ninja's greatest enemies, play fought with two human. _And who's Noct?_ Cole wondered. _Maybe this is the wrong guy._

"I believe it would be prudent to warn you that attempting to chock the prince could result in serious repercussions," Said Jakob as he and Alura entered.

"Hey, if his majesty thinks that it's too much, then he can always quit," She replied.

"Not on your life," The aforementioned prince growled back before trying to wiggle away.

"Hey guys," The younger girl said, giving Alura a hug.

"Oh, Ruby. It's been too long," Alura said after a moment. Ruby pulled herself out of the embrace and turned to Jakob.

"You ready, Specs?" She asked, eagerness written all over her face.

"I believe so," Jakob replied, adjusting his glasses. He extended a hand which Ruby shook. She then reached her arm up to his wrist, Jakob coping the motion, and shook again. They then brushed their shoulders together, before repeating the motions with their left hands. Ruby then raised her hand in a double high-five. Jakob hesitated for a moment, staring at them. He then met her high-five and put his hands down for a low-five, which Ruby promptly followed through with.

"Yes! Secret Bookworm Besties Handshake complete!" Ruby declared, giving a triumphant jump in the air.

"Speaking of books, what did you bring me?" Jakob asked, sounding like a kid in a candy shop.

Ruby reached into her satchel and pulled out four thick, hardcover books, which Jakob practically ripped out of her hands. After inspecting them for a moment, Jakob said, "Ruby Rose, you are a gem…pun intended."

Alura smiled at the two before turning her attention to the wrestlers.

"Noctis, I believe that you should capitulate. After all, Yang's grip is stronger than yours," She commented. Noctis let out an annoyed sigh before tapping on his captor's shoulder. She promptly dropped him and shouted in a triumphant voice.

"Yes! Mark that on the Yang Xioa Long victory sheet!"

"Just you wait. One of these days I'll win," Noctis muttered, standing back up.

"Pfft. In your dreams," Yang retorted before turning to the other three. "How's it hangin' Specs?"

"Well, I've not been hanged so far, if that's what you're asking," Jakob replied. Yang then turned to Alura. The human girl grabbed the edges of her pants and did her best impression of a curtesy.

"How was that?" Yang asked.

"Close," Alura complimented. "But you needed to be more graceful."

"Awell, not like I'll ever need it," Yang dismissed.

"I'll take it that you're both on summer vacation?" Alura guessed.

"Yep. Complete and total freedom for three whole months," Yang replied, whimsically.

"Sounds like a blast," Noctis commented.

"Sounds like a nightmare," Jakob said. "To think, you two actually go to a building solely constructed for the purposes of academia and you want to leave."

"Hey, you're lucky that you don't have to go to school," Yang argued back. "That place is a nightmare."

Ruby then reached into her satchel and pulled out a small, sliver camera.

"Since the gang's all here, it's picture time!" She said. Ruby then extended her hand out in front of the group and caught them in a selfie.

"Let's see," Noctis said as he and everyone else leaned over her shoulder to look at the image.

"Ah dear, I had my eyes closed," Jakob muttered.

"Hey Alura, she caught your good side," Yang pointed out.

Cole stared at the little group in complete astonishment. _Okay, so let me get this straight. That's Skales Jr. or Noctis or whatever, the prince of the serpentine who fries the city whenever he has a nightmare and hangs out with two humans?_ Cole thought in surprise.

"So what's the plan, Noct?" Yang inquired.

"Hit the road and make it up from there," Noctis replied.

"Does that mean that we get to ride in the Regalia?" Ruby asked, practically jumping up and down.

"Yep," Noctis replied, nonchalantly.

"That is of course if his majesty, the king, allows us to borrow it," Jakob added.

"Right…I'll go ask him," Noctis said, after a moment's hesitation. He started up the staircase headed for his father's personal quarters. Cole, seeing his chance, started sneaking after him.

Noctis walked down the hallways toward his father's quarters, anxiety building in his chest. After barging in on his father's secret meeting, Noctis was not looking forward to seeing him again. He was about to turn the corner when he overheard voices. It was Acidicus describing his dream. Which each detail, Noctis' mind filled with the dark and frightening memories of the dream. As his memories became more intense, Noctis' noticed a red glow emitting from under his left glove. Noctis quickly covered his left hand with his right, though the glow still shined through. After the venomari general finished, an unbearable moment of silence followed.

"So…what does it mean?" Selma asked, finally breaking the silence.

"I-I don't know," Acidicus replied. "It could be just a random nightmare."

"I kinda doubt that," Skalidor stated. "Nightmares don't do the things that he can."

Another silence followed, though this one not as long.

"Acidicus," Fantom began. "Perhaps you should tell Skales about your idea."

"What idea?" Skales asked.

"I think that perhaps the best people suited to dealing with this problem might be Lloyd Garamadon," Acidicus said, after a moment of hesitation.

Noctis took in a sharp breath. He'd never heard about this idea before. However, it make sense. After all, Lloyd had been there on the Day of the Golden Master.

"I don't know," Skales replied, after a moment. "I doubt that Lloyd would help us so willingly, that is if we could even find him. It's a good idea but we should try other ideas first."

Noctis let out an annoyed growl. _Look around, Dad. I'm a walking freak-show, who makes everyone's life worse. I think now is a good time to start considering any option._ He thought, furious. Then, an idea occurred to him.

Fangtom was about to say something when there was a knock at the door. The five looked up in surprise. Selma stood up and walked over to the door. Skales slithered next to her and pulled open the door to reveal Noctis.

"Oh, um Noctis," Skales said in surprise.

"Hi, again," He said, this time a bemused smile on his face. Skales let out a sigh of relief, upon seeing his son's better mood.

"Well, you seem more chipper," Selma commented, a smile on her face.

"Yeah, sorry 'bout before. I just kinda talked without thinking," Noctis apologized.

"I-it's no problem," Skales said, quickly trying to assure his son of no ill-will. "Would you like to come in?"

"Actually, I was wondering if I could borrow the keys to the Regalia?" Noctis asked.

"Oh, your friends are here?" Skales guessed. "Well, that's fine. You know where they are."

Noctis nodded his head and began walking off. As he started, Selma elbowed her husband in the chest.

"Invite him," She whispered.

"Oh, Noctis," Skales called, causing his son to turn around.

"Do you think that you'll be back by nine O'clock?" Skales began. "The president and I are having a formal dinner and we'd be happy to have you there. President Lorie mentioned he wanted to meet you."

Noctis' expression mellowed into a bitter-sweet look.

"I think that it would be best if I'm not here for that," Noctis replied. "I'd probably cause trouble, again."

With that, he quickly headed down the stairs to the king's chambers.

Upon arriving in his father's bedroom, Noctis quickly picked up a set of keys from the desk. He then found a pen and spare piece of paper. After quickly scribbling down a message, he left it on his father's pillow.

When he returned to the surface, Noctis found Yang and Ruby pulling various bags out of their small yellow car, Jakob, who was wearing a belt with multiple tools and satchel across his chest, and Alura occasionally helping.

"So, you ready to ride in some real wheels?" He asked, causing them to look up from their work.

"And ditch this rolling scrap heap, you know it," Yang replied. Noctis tossed the keys to Jakob, who caught them without missing a beat.

"Ship's all yours, Specs," Noctis said.

"Then, I'll take it that we're ready to set sail?" Jakob asked, though he already knew the answer.

With that the five headed for the garage of the palace. They wandered through a practical museum of old retired fangpyre vehicles, covered with dust and dirt from a lack of use. At the very end, a vehicle unlike any the serpentine had ever seen before sat idly waiting to start. The Regalia was a long black convertible, with silver trim, sparkling sliver rims, tinted black windows, and a plush leather two-part interior that could fit a maximum of eight. The car had originally been built by Cyrus Borg and given to Skales as a token of peace. Skales, being not a big fan of cars, had hardly ever used it, and the vehicle was allowed to rust. That was until Noctis discovered it. Now, it served as the primary source of transportation for Noctis and his royal party.

"She's so beautiful!" Ruby whispered, her eyes practically watering at the sight.

"It is an impressive vehicle," Alura commented.

"Ugh, one of these days I'll get a car like this," Yang said.

"Pfft. In your dreams," Noctis dismissed.

"Indeed, the Regalia's one of a kind," Jakob added. "Not so easily procured."

"You're so lucky, Noct," Ruby said.

"Not lucky. Just prince," Noctis replied.

"Well, if we're all done admiring the car, we should head off," Alura suggested.

The sisters quickly threw their luggage into the trunk. Jakob took the driver's seat with Alura taking the passenger seat and Noctis, Yang, and Ruby entering the back compartment.

"Where to?" Jakob asked, revving up the engine.

"I'll leave that to the driver's discretion," Noctis replied.

"Dino's then," Jakob said. With that, the five headed off. Upon exiting the city limits, Jakob retracted the hood. Yang reached into her pockets, and pulled out a few hand-held gaming consoles. She reached up to offer one to Alura.

"No, thank you," Alura declined. She crossed her hands and laid back in her seat. "Wake me when we arrive."

And with that, Alura dozed off. The three in the back quickly became engaged in a fierce match of Mario Kart, which was only interrupted when Yang leaned out the window to whistle at any attractive men they passed. Jakob kept his eyes firmly on the road, though occasionally he glanced at Alura, who was sound asleep. As she slept, her right hand glowed a dim yellow light from under her glove, which Jakob knew meant that she was dreaming pleasantly.

After a half hour of driving, they pulled up at a large and somewhat beaten down restaurant named _Dino's Dinner._

"We're here," Jakob announced.

"Oh! I was just about to win," Ruby complained, though she quickly exited the car. Noctis reached through the window and gave Alura a quick but gentle shake, which woke her. When the four entered, they found a dimly lit and somewhat dirty dinner. The place was practically abandoned excepting a few other customers. A heavy man with glasses and suspenders greeted them.

"Hey, hey, if it ain't me favorite customers," He declared.

The group all greeted him warm welcomes ranging from: "how do you do?" to "S'up?"

"I saved yer favorite seat," He said, pointing to a round table in the middle of the dinner. "And I'll git the regulars' right out."

"You're the best, Dino," Ruby complimented before heading to the table.

After settling in, Noctis started up a conversation.

"So, how's the martial arts going?"

"Great. Checkit," Ruby replied, pulling out her camera and showing multiple pictures of herself and Yang.

"I'll take it you excelled in sparing yet again, Yang," Jakob guessed, glancing over images of Yang, in full outfit, receiving a golden trophy.

"Yeah, I even got to stick it to Adam in the finals," Yang boasted.

"Speaking of your classmates, did, um, John and that girl get together, yet?" Noctis asked.

"You mean, Jaune. Yeah, finally," Yang corrected.

"At long last, the Arkos ship has set sail!" Ruby stated.

"Arkos?" Noctis repeated, confused.

"Yeah, it's their couple name," Ruby replied.

"Couple name? Is this a human custom that we've not become acquainted with yet?" Alura inquired.

"It's when you have two people who are obviously in love, take their names and stick 'em together," Ruby explained. "Like, Jaya, Corrilica, Terraqua, Noctlura."

However, the last one was cut off by a sharp kick from Yang, who proceeded to grab Ruby by the ear and pulled her under the table.

"What are you doing? Don't mention Noctlura in front of them!" Yang whispered, emphatically.

"Why, it's like super-obvious!" Ruby argued back in a soft-voice.

"What are you talking about?" Noctis asked, leaning over the table to stare at them. Fortunately, the two were saved by the appearance of Dino, each arm laden with food. He proceeded to place their meals in-front of them and promptly departed after making a bit of idle chit-chat with them.

Yang picked up her fork and proceeded to devour the meal until Alura gave her a tap on the shoulder.

"You're holding your fork incorrectly," Alua pointed out gently.

"Oh, thanks," Yang replied, correcting her posture and then resuming to devour the meal. "I've been trying to get this whole 'proper etiquette' thing down."

"So Ruby, I've recently began to read up on the Dragoon War," Jakob said, between bites. "And I must say I never knew aerial combat like that was possible."

"I know right. It sounds so cool, jumping in from out of nowhere with a giant spear!" Ruby gushed.

While the four talked, Noctis took out a map of the surrounding area and started looking intently at it, only stopping to put food in his mouth.

By the time the rest had finished eating, Noctis had taken a pen and circled a small area by a river.

"What's that?" Ruby asked.

"That is tonight's camping site, if you're up to it." Noctis replied.

"Camping! Heck yeah," Yang replied, emphatically.

"Okay then, let's head out," Noctis said. But just as he was about to stand up, Jakob cleared his throat in a very obvious manner. Jakob then looked down at Noctis' plate, which had been cleared of everything except three pieces of broccoli. Noctis then meet Jakob's eyes with a defiant stare.

"Oh dear," Alura muttered, pinching her snout.

"Oh boy, this is gonna get good," Yang said.

"I got five bucks on Jakob," Ruby offered, which was promptly taken by her sister.

This exchange was completely lost on Jakob and Noctis, who were staring intently at each other.

"Noct, you need to eat your vegetables," Jakob ordered, pushing the plate closer to him.

Noctis responded by pushing the plate back, with an emphatic 'no!'

"They're good for you," Jakob insisted, pushing it closer to Noctis.

"How can anything that tastes like garbage be good for me?" Noctis retorted pushing the plate back

"Noct. You're old enough now to understand the benefit of a properly balanced diet," Jakob pointed out, again pushing the plate closer to Noctis.

"I'm old enough now that I don't have to eat what I don't wanna," Noctis shot back, shoving the plate away.

"You're the prince, and you have an obligation to ensure your health as heir to the throne," Jakob said, pushing the plate back.

"I'm the prince and by my royal powers, I solemnly declare I'm not eating that and we're leaving," Noctis said, pushing the plate away with an air of finality.

Jakob paused for a moment, seemingly defeated. However, a confident smirk crossed his face and with a shift adjustment of his glasses he said.

"Do you want me to tell your mother?"

Noctis stared at his friend in horror, before picking up his fork and beginning to eat.

"You're evil, you know that?" Noctis grumbled between bites.

"Oh, positively rotten to the bone," Jakob said, a smirk on his face.

"Honestly. You two can be such children sometimes," Alura muttered, while Ruby collected her winnings from Yang. Once Noctis had reluctantly finished his meal, the five stood up and started to leave. However, they were interrupted by Dino.

"Now, hold on a minute there," Dino objected. "Y'all wouldn't leave without gettin' a picture."

"Oh right," Ruby pulled out her camera and handed it to Dino. He was about to take their picture when Noctis held up a hand.

"Wait, wait," He objected. "Dino, we've been coming here for years and every time you take our picture."

"Yeah. There a problem?" He asked.

"Yeah. There is a problem. None of them have you in it," Noctis said, a smile on his face.

"I concur! We've yet to pay respect for the man who makes this all possible," Jakob put in.

"Noct's right. Get in here, Dinster!" Yang agreed.

"Aw, that's sweet of y'all but I can't. I mean who'd take the picture," Dino replied, his face red.

"I believe I can help with that."

The group turned to see one of the other customers stand up. He was a middle aged man with long reddish-violet hair, bright amber eyes, an unshaven chin, and strong facial features. He wore a long black coat with white and grey trim; his trousers matched his trim. A small red scarf sat around his neck and a grey and white hood and mantle on his shoulders. He wore a pair of fingerless gloves and a well-worn black fedora.

"Oh, well thank ya kindly mister," Dino said, handing the camera to the man before joining the others.

"I suppose it's the button on the top?" He guessed. Ruby nodded in affirmation before striking a pose with the rest of the group. The customer took their photo and the gang, after examining the image, left for their car.

"Such friendly folk," Dino said, as he waved after them.

"It's a rare sight," The customer said, walking over to his seat.

"Can I git ya anything else?" Dino asked. Leaning in close, he added. "It'll be on the house for being so social-like."

"Oh, that's not necessary," The Customer replied. "After all, it's a small service to the Prince of the Serpentine."

Dino took in a surprised breath before asking.

"H-how'd you know 'bout Noct bein' the prince?"

"Oh, I've taken a special interest in the prince," The Customer stated, taking a sip of his drink.

Cole checked the halls once again, before slipping quietly into Skales' room. The sun was beginning to set, which was a good thing for him. That meant that Skales would be busy with Lorie leaving Cole to himself.

"Alright, King Skales, let's see what your hiding."


	7. An Intriguing Inquisition

**This chapter is dedicated to Ninjago: Master of Spinjituze ( 2011-2017) Cause of death: stupid trailer.**

 **But in all seriousness, I thought the trailer was funny but I am worried that Ninjago will lose its identity. Still, only time will tell.**

 **I own nothing**

Jay could barely control himself. This was embarrassing. No, this was infuriating. Not only had he been kidnapped. Not only had he, a professional ninja and master of lightning, been kidnapped. Not only had his wife, professional samurai and master of water, been kidnapped. Not only had they been kidnapped and were now being taken to the secret location of their close friends' dojo that no one should know about. They had been kidnapped and were taken against their will to Lloyd's secret dojo by a complete idiot.

This Lieutenant Colonel Maes Hughes had, in the course of one hour, proven himself the single most annoying person Jay had ever had the displeasure of knowing in his entire life. How this was possible when Jay was close friends with Dareth, he had no idea. But Jay did know that after listening to a grown man not only play the entire soundtrack of Frozen on a continuous loop for a solid hour but also sing along to every single song, was a good way to start.

When Hughes had first forced them to get in his car, Jay had begun to suspect that he had lied about having a family and the entire display about his daughter had been a clever rouse. However, upon entering the car, Jay's doubts were quickly and unfortunately put to rest. The floor of the car was covered in uneaten cheerios, first grade picture books, haphazardly placed stickers and _My Little Pony_ dolls. A bright pink booster chair separated Jay and Nya. And not to mention, Nya had ended up sitting in a pool of uneaten yogurt and the dashboard was covered in pictures of Hughes' daughter.

"This is torture," Jay muttered under his breath to Nya. "I'd literally take a thousand stone warriors over this."

Hughes was just about winding up to the refrain of _Let it Go,_ when his phone started ringing. He paused the music, much to the relief his captives, and put his phone to his ear.

"Hey, Riza what's up?" He asked. "Huh…Oh, yeah, I got them. Yep, Lightning and Water. You got Fire?... Cool. Roy should be at the temple already. Okay, see you there….What? Oh right…Okay, sure. I'll try. Oh, by the way, Elicia says hi."

"They're talking about Kai," Nya whispered. Jay thought for a moment. _Water and Lightning are us, so she's right, fire must be Kai._

"So, what exactly do you want?" Nya asked as Hughes hung up the phone.

"How do you mean?" Hughes replied, ambiguously.

"Your friend has Kai and you're taking us to the temple. Something tells me that you're either kidnapping us to get rid of us or you need us for something," Jay stated bluntly.

"Well, it's a matter of national security. I can't just go around telling everyone," Hughes replied as though he was talking about the weather.

"Look, how do we know that you're even with the military? Everyone knows that there's no section 3 anyway," Nya pointed out.

Hughes paused for a moment, staring out at the road. Then, he snapped his fingers and turned to face them.

"Alright, how about this. We trade info for info. Sound fair?" Hughes offered, a genial smile on his face.

Jay glanced at Nya who returned his look for a moment, silently deliberating the offer.

"Alright, we'll deal," Jay replied, his voice guarded.

"Awesome!" Hughes said, pumping his fist. "Okay, you go first."

"Give us some proof that you're really with the military," Jay requested. Hughes reached into the glove box of his car and pulled out a badge. He threw it back to them. Nya caught it and looked it over. Inside, there was a golden symbol for New Ninjago City with _Section 3: Serving in Secret_ inscribed underneath.

"My turn," Hughes said, clearing his throat dramatically. "Is my daughter the cutest little girl in the world or the cutest little girl in the universe?"

"Um…universe," Jay shrugged.

"Wise choice," Hughes commented. "Your turn."

"Who's Riza and Roy?" Jay asked.

"Oh, my besties," Hughes said casually.

"So they're not in the military?" Nya guessed, though it was really just a pump for information.

"No. Roy's my superior officer, Colonel Roy Mustang, head of most operations in Section 3. And First Lieutenant Riza Hawkeye's his right hand man…well, woman. She handles most of the ops," Hughes explained. "We're kinda like the three musketeers. Roy's the leader, Riza does all the fighting and action stuff, and I'm the incredibly dashing, handsome, cool guy."

"Right," Jay replied. "You're turn."

"Alright…who's your favorite pony?" Hughes inquired. "Now think carefully."

"…I dunno Twilight Sparkle," Jay replied, flustered.

"Good choice. Can't go wrong with good ol' Twi," Hughes put in.

"How did you find Lloyd's Dojo?" Nya asked.

"Pfft. We've got high power super satellites that can literally find a needle in a hay stack," Hughes replied. "Now, what's your favorite old black and white movie?"

"Um… _The Shop Around the Corner,"_ Nya answered.

"Really? Oh my gosh! That's Gracia's favorite too! You two should totally hang out together sometime!" Hughes exclaimed.

"Why are you gathering the ninja?" Jay asked.

"Oh, well to keep things brief, we've come across a serious security risk of the otherworldly kind. And seeing as how you guys beat Lord Garamadon, the Overlord, Morro, ect. Ect., we figured you'd be the best people to deal with it. Roy'll fill you in when we get there. Now, is my wife the most beautiful woman in history or the most beautiful woman inexistence?"

Jay started to answer but stopped when he noticed Nya giving him a warning glare.

"Look, this is ridiculous. Would you just cut the crap already? Start asking some serious questions or something?" Jay said, turning his anger on Hughes.

"Alright," Hughes paused for a moment before asking. "So, Jay. How'd you lose that hand?"

Jay hesitated, looking down at his right hand.

"Jay, you don't have to tell him anything," Nya said, before turning to Hughes. "How could you ask that?"

"Look, I'm sorry, but I'm giving you the easy route," Hughes replied, his voice sympathetic. "You can either tell me or have Roy wrestle the truth out of you."

"You heartless-" Nya began.

"No, Nya. We made a deal," Jay cut her off. "But before I talk, why do you want to know?"

"We know that your last mission together was three years ago. Three years ago was also when Sensei Wu supposedly died. It was also around that time that Morro's realm crystal disappeared," Hughes explained. "So if simple math adds up, you and the ninja were probably involved. We need to know what happened to that crystal."

"How come?" Jay pushed.

"Because, we think we've found more," Hughes replied.

"Alright then, I'll tell you," Jay replied. "Three years ago, we got a report that the Realm Crystal had been stolen. We did some investigating and found out that Pythor had been responsible. We did some digging but none of us could find anything. Then, after about two weeks, Sensei picked up a hint that Pythor and his new little gang, the Cult of Oroborus, were held up in a dark cavern somewhere."

"We headed in expecting this to be like any ordinary adventure. But, Pythor had planned ahead. There were explosives at every door. We were scattered, injured, and the serpentine came in for the attack. We managed to fight them off… but," Jay paused glancing down at his hand.

"I get the picture," Hughes commented, mercifully.

"Anyways, we were all pretty banged up, but Sensei wasn't about to let Pythor get away with the Realm Crystal," Jay continued. "He perused Pythor and started to fight his way through the entire cult. You should have seen it, Sensei was incredible. But when he got to Pythor, things started turning south. The explosions had loosened the ceiling of the building. We tried to get to Sensei but before we could, the entire cave collapsed."

"We barely got out ourselves," Nya added.

"When we returned, there was no sign of Sensei, Pythor, or the Realm Crystal," Jay continued. "We looked for months, but found nothing. Eventually, we had to give up."

A dark silence followed as Jay concluded his story.

"So, you have no idea where the Realm Crystal is?" Hughes asked.

"I already told you that," Jay replied.

"Alright, but seeing as how Old Man Wu's back from the dead somehow, that means that probably the Crystal wasn't destroyed either," Hughes reasoned.

"How did you-" Nya stuttered in shock.

"I'm more observant that you'd think," Hughes said, simply. "One final question. If Wu survived, who's to say Pythor didn't either?"


	8. The Dark Crown

**I own nothing**

Cole glanced down the hallway just to check for guards before creeping into Skales' room. When he entered, he was met with a large, room with massive windows facing toward the City of Oroborus. However, no light shone from the city. The only light came from the moon. _A result of the prince's little episode,_ Cole thought. He then scanned the room to find any sign of the crown. But to his surprise, Cole saw nothing. He had figured that Skales, being king, would proudly display the crown on some high pedestal or the like. However, nothing remotely like that was present.

"Well, if it did do whatever it did to the prince, I suppose he would hide it," Cole guessed. He started pushing various pieces of furniture out of the way, pulling books out of their cases, and digging through chests. After ten minutes of searching, Cole, empty-handed, let out a defeated grunt. He then noticed a letter sitting on the bed, which had _mom and dad_ written on it. Cole picked up the letter and began to open it when he heard two voices approaching. He quickly pressed himself against the wall, holding his breath as the two guards passed. He was about to read the letter when he noticed that one of the bricks in the way lacked the concrete around it. Cole pressed the brick and a secret door suddenly opened.

"Well, that's certainly not cliché," Cole commented, before proceeding down the corridor. At the bottom, Cole discovered a large narrow hallway and at the end sat the crown. Interestingly, the gem in the center of the crown lay outside it, rather than in its place in the center.

"Bingo," Cole said in triumph. He walked toward the crown and reached to grab it.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Came a dark voice.

Cole turned to see a Hyponbrai in full uniform with a metallic cover over his right arm. He recognized him as Cobra: captain of the guard. The serpentine raised his saber at Cole.

"That a challenge?" Cole asked, reaching for the small collapsible scythe tied around his waist.

"It's a warning," Cobra replied simply. "That crown contains more power than anyone could handle."

"Which is why I'm taking it," Cole said. "If you think that I'm letting you hide this much power, than you've got another thing coming."

"Stupid, human, moron," Cobra growled. "Fine then, I tried Skales' way. Now, for the only reliable way to deal with humans."

With that, Cobra rushed toward Cole with blinding speed. Cole dodged to the left and brought out the scythe. Cobra stabbed at Cole's chest, thought the ninja quickly deflected the blade with the shaft of the scythe. Cole then swung down with the blade slashing Cobra's shoulder. Now on the defensive, Cobra started backing up. Cole pressed his advantage unleashing a flurry of attacks on the serpentine. Cobra raised his strike Cole, but Cole parried the sword with the blade of the scythe, using the end of it to strike Cobra in the face. Cole spun the scythe to the center and pushed Cobra back against the wall. Cobra raised his weapon to strike down, but Cole parried, knocking the weapon free.

"Give up?" Cole asked, raising the sycthe blade to Cobra's face. Cobra just smirked back at him.

"I want to thank you. I've been waiting for a real fight," Cobra said. He suddenly grabbed the hilt of the scythe with his armored hand. The hyponbrai squeezed down on the hilt, braking it off the rest of the weapon. In the blink of an eye, Cobra grabbed the blade with his right hand and slashed the staff in half. Cole started at the serpentine in shock only to be hit in the chest with the seemingly super-natural force of Cobra's left arm. Cole backed up, clutching his chest in pain. Cobra wound up and punched Cole again, throwing him against the other wall. Cole, his eyes groggy, looked up to see Cobra charging toward him, arm raised to punch his head off. The ninia barely managed to duck under the strike as Cobra's arm broke straight into the wall. Taking advantage of his's opponent's momentary distraction, Cole kicked Cobra once in the chest and once in the face. Cobra ripped his arm out of the wall and back-handed Cole away.

"Oh that's it," Cole growled. His hands glowed as he pressed them to the ground. Two large pillars of earth erupted from the ground and hit Cobra directly in the chest. Cole pressed his left hand to the ground and a large rock immediately covered it.

"Alright, snakie, round two," Cole challenged. He charged toward Cobra when a voice interrupted him.

"What's going on?"

Cole and Cobra both turned to see Skales and Selma standing at the bottom of the stairs, staring at them. Cole readied himself for a fight but noticed Cobra dropping onto his knee in a bow.

"Apologies your majesty, I found.." Cobra began only to be interrupted by Skales.

"Cobra, just drop it. What happened?" Skales ordered, irritation in his voice. Cobra stood back and stated simply.

"I found this one snooping around."

Skales and Selma turned, seemingly only noticing Cole just now.

"W-what are you doing here? What about the party?" Skales sputtered.

"Oh, drop the act. I know about your son and I know about this crown," Cole said marching up to the pedestal. "I don't know what you're planning or what kind of power Noctis or whatever has. But, if you think I'm going to let you keep hiding this, then you got another thing coming. I'm taking this to President Lorie and you'd better have a darn good explanation as to why your son can fry cities."

Cole reached to grab the crown.

"No! Don't touch that!" Skales and Selma exclaimed in unison.

"And why not?" Cole challenged.

Skales looked at Cobra with petitioning eyes. Cobra nodded his head. He then unbuttoned his jacket allowing it to fall open. Cole gasped in shock. A long scar streaked across his chest. Massive burn marks covered his body. Most of his scales were a dark black instead of the blue of a normal hyponbrai and there were parts of his chest where no scales were even present, only charred flesh.

"And I got off easy," Cobra commented, darkly.

"W-what happen?" Cole asked, horrified.

 _Ten years ago: the Day of the Golden Master_

Cobra stalked away as Skales led his heroic charge out into the world to save the humans. _That idiot!_ Cobra mentally growled. _How dare he! How dare he forgive them!_

"Cobra," Came a voice.

Cobra turned to see Selma. He gave a quick bow.

"Your highness."

"Drop it," She snapped. Cobra righted himself and stared back at her.

"Do you have any idea how frustrating you are?" Selma asked, rhetorically. Cobra merely remained silent. "One minute you want to let millions die and I should hate you. The next you save my husband from being stoned."

"I am bound to the king as any good serpentine should be," Cobra replied simply.

"Did that also apply to Pythor?" Selma asked.

"If you are questioning my loyalty…" Cobra began only to be cut off by Selma.

"I'm not questioning your loyalty. I'm concerned about this attitude you have toward humans. Look, Skales told me what happened and I understand," Selma started.

"You could never understand!" Cobra interrupted, anger in his eyes. However, he seemed to recollect himself and went down on a knee. "M-my apologies your majesty."

"Cobra…you don't have to apologize," Selma said. "It was traumatic and you're right I really wouldn't understand."

"No. I…I must make amends," Cobra insisted.

"Fine, keep an eye on Junior for me, please," Selma requested.

The other hyponbrai stood up and gave a curt nod before walking away.

"Come on everyone, let's stay calm!" Skales Jr. called. He had organized a small group of snaklings to clean up any rocks that fell from the ceiling. If he was being honest, Skales Jr. knew that this really would not help anything. But he hoped that it would keep everyone's minds off the Golden Master's return.

"Hey, Spitta, keep the good work up!" He called to a venomari snakeling, who nodded encouragingly. Suddenly, a flash of blue collided with Skales Jr., sending him to the ground. After a moment of confusion, he looked up and saw another hyponbrai somewhat older than him.

"Oh, sorry about that," He said, offering Skales Jr. a hand up.

"It's alright," Skales Jr. replied, as he came to his feet. "But, you know, you really shouldn't be running that fast."

"Sorry, b-but it's important," The other insisted. "I'm trying to find my sister. She's missing."

"Oh, well um let me help," Skales Jr. offered.

"Really, that's alright," The elder serpentine said.

"How about by royal order of the prince," Skales Jr. said, a mischievous grin on his face.

"Wait, what? you're not.." The other began.

"That's right, Prince Skales Noctis Hyponbrai, in the flesh!" Skales Jr. declared. "And you are?"

The other serpentine took a moment to shut his currently gaping mouth before saying.

"A-Aral and my sister's is Alura," He sputtered.

"Well, let's get looking then," Skales Jr. decided. The two wandered into the caves calling out for Alura. However, they found nothing. Eventually, they found themselves in a large cave with multiple smaller caverns in it.

"Let's split up," Aral suggested. Skales Jr. nodded in response before heading off. After a few moments, he tried calling out for the missing sister. However, there was no response. _Rats, she has to be here somewhere._ He thought desperately.

Then, he heard a sound which he realized was sniffling. Skales Jr. turned to see a serpentine of his age curled up in a ball.

"H-hey..it's okay," He said, quietly. He started toward the serpentine but she backed away.

"S-stay away," She half whispered.

"Shh. It's alright. I'm a friend," Skales Jr. insisted, getting on one knee. "What's your name?"

"I..I'm not telling you…not unless you tell me your name," She insisted tears still streaming down her face. Skales paused for a moment. He did not want to tell her that he was the prince. It might scare her. But, he did not want to tell her his name was 'junior.' He'd sound stupid if he said that.

"I…I'm Noctis," He said after a minute. "What's your name?"

"A-Alura," The girl replied.

"You know Alura, your brother's looking for you," Noctis said.

"He can't find me! I don't want him to see me like this," She said.

"Crying?" Noctis guessed.

"*sniff* yeah," Alura said. "I'm so scared but he's so strong and brave. I-I don't want to cry but I-I.."

"Yeah, listen. It's okay to cry sometimes. I'm scared too, we all are," Noctis comforted, sitting beside her. "Tell you what. How about I stay here with you. You can take all the time you need by we should be getting back to Aral soon."

"O-okay," She sniffled. After a minute, she looked up and met his gaze. "You know, I don't really feel like crying any more. Now that you're here."

"I guess I just have that effect on people," Noctis joked. He then stood up and offered her a hand.

"C'mon. Let's find Aral," Noctis said. Alura took his hand and followed him. After a few minutes, they found Aral.

"There you are!" He exclaimed, giving Alura a worried expression. "I thought that you were hurt."

"No…I just got lost, but then Noctis found me," She said, a smile forming on her face.

"Noctis…oh you mean the prince," Aral said. Alura turned to Noctis with a shocked expression.

"You're the prince. Really?" She asked.

"Y-yeah, I'm Prince Skales Jr." Noctis admitted.

"Hun, I kinda like Noctis more," She commented.

"Well, we can talk about it later. Let's get back to the rest," Aral suggested. The three started to walk when they heard what sounded like the faintest whisper of a voice. A ghost like whisper carrying a single word.

" _IZUNIA!"_

"D-did you hear that?" Noctis asked. Aral and Alura nodded. After a moment, they started following the voice.

Cobra wandered through the caverns, irritation clearly written on his face. He was ashamed of himself, furious at his brother, and annoyed at his 'assignment' all at the same time.

"Where is that boy anyways," Cobra growled. He had never been particularly fond of Junior, mostly because his parents had chosen to use human terminology to name him instead of choosing a true name for him. However, he was still the heir to the Serpentine crown. _Not like the crown still matters._ Cobra thought bitterly. Skales had thrown the crown into this exact cave system as a sign of the 'new leaf' that he wanted to turn over. _Maybe while I'm here I'll pull it out of whatever hole its fallen into._ Cobra decided.

" _IZUNIA!"_

It was as though the breeze carried the name with it. Cobra looked around trying to find out where the voice came from.

"Over here," Came a familiar voice. Cobra recognized the sound of Skales Jr.'s voice and immediately started following. As Cobra got closer the mysterious voice seemed to get closer, repeating only one phrase.

" _IZUNIA!"_

Eventually, Cobra caught sight of three serpentine gather around an object.

"Your majesty," Cobra gave a short bow. The three turned around.

"Oh, Uncle Cobra. What are you doing here?" Skales Jr. asked.

"Your mother wanted me to find you," Cobra replied briskly. "Now, let's go somewhere safer."

"Wait, Cobra. Don't you here that?" Skales Jr. asked. "The voice."

"It's probably just the wind," Cobra retorted.

"Um. We're underground," A serpentine slightly older than Skales Jr. commented.

"Cobra. I think it's coming from this," Skales Jr pointed down at the object the three were gather around. Cobra immediately recognized it as Skale's crown. However, the jewel in the center was glowing. Skales Jr. bent over to grab it. When he did, a bright light suddenly blinded them.

Noctis opened his eyes to find himself staring out at an endless expanse of blackness. The ground beneath him, the sky above him, and every where around him was a tangible blackness.

"W-where are we?" We muttered to himself. He looked around to see Cobra, Aral, and Alura all standing around him.

"W-what's going on?" Alura whispered.

"Everyone stay calm," Cobra insisted. "There must be a way out of here."

"Um w-what are those?" Aral asked, pointing into the distance. Noctis looked and saw thousands of yellow eyes staring out at him. The yellow eyes seemed to take on form, as parts of the blackness formed around them to create black, horrifying creatures. Then, from the masses emerged a single figure. It seemed to be humanoid, however it was made of the same darkness as the other creatures, yellow eyes glowing from its head. It reached out a hand and pointed at Noctis.

" _Nox,"_ He said. Suddenly, the world began to rumble. The figure's finger then shifted to Alura.

" _Lux,"_ He said.

"What is this! Who are you!" Cobra growled, staring at the figure. It simply tilted it's head as though in a smile. It then began advancing toward them. Cobra pulled out his saber. He charged forward and stabbed the figure right through the chest. The Figure grabbed the saber and the same blackness seemed to pour out of his hand. The merky inky substance quickly consumed the weapon. Cobra took a few steps back in surprise. The Figure then reached out and grabbed Cobra by the chest. The black substance extended onto Cobra's chest. He took a few steps back his face contorting in pain. He then collapsed. Aral charged forward. However, the Figure merely grabbed him by the head. Aral screamed in agony. With seemingly supernatural force, the Figure threw Aral into the hordes of yellow eyed creatures. The Figure stopped infront of Noctis and Alura staring down at them.

"W-what are you gonna do to us?" Alura whispered in horror.

" _Hmph, nothing. I intended to let them choose,"_ He said waving his hands toward the Darkness. Then, a black mist seemed to radiate from the blackness. It quickly flew down and enveloped Noctis and Alura. Two soon found himself being pulled up from the ground. Suddenly a red surge of energy shot forth and began flowing into Noctis. Another surge of energy, this one bright gold, shot into Alura.

After a few moments, the mist released both of them. Alura and Noctis fell to the ground however, they made no sound. The Figure proceeded to walk toward Noctis. Alura weakly stood up and moved infront of Noctis, who was still unconscious. The ground began to shake violently. The whole world seemed to move and the thousands of pairs of eyes vanished.

" _Ah Lux, how sweet. Alas, you are no longer needed,"_ The Figure mocked. He made to touch her. However, a hand suddednly burst through the black figure's chest.

"Don't you dare touch them!" Cobra growled. The blackness then surged onto Cobra's left arm. However, he powered through the pain. Giving the Figure a massive push, Cobra threw the mysterious entity away. With his one good hand, he picked up Noctis.

"Come on! We have to leave," Cobra ordered. The two began desperately running.

"Look a door!" Alura shouted, pointing toward a light shining in the darkness. With all their strength, the two bolted toward the door. As the reached it, the door seemed to open by itself. A bright light shined through the door as Cobra and Alura ran through it.

Selma walked into the cavern where Cobra's foot-prints lead. She recognized the area as where Skales had thrown away his crown. After a few moments of searching, she noticed Skales Jr., Cobra, and a third serpentine laying on the ground. Fear suddenly seizing her, Selma ran over to her son. He seemed to be writhing in pain. As she got closer, she noticed a dark purple glow coming from his eyes and a dark red glow coming from his hand.

"Junior. Junior, wake up," She said, shaking him gently.

"Here, let me," Came a voice. Selma turned around to notice the other serpentine, a girl of Junior's age, walking standing next to her. The serpentine reached out her right hand. As she did, Selma noticed a design on her hand: a golden heart with two silver wings.

"Noctis, please wake up," The girl implored. A bright light came forth from her hand as she placed it on Junior. After a few moments, he awoke.

"What happened?" He muttered, raigin his left hand to his head. As he did so, Selma noticed a design on his hand: a black heart with a spiked 'x' through the middle. "Where's Uncle Cobra?"

Selma looked at Cobra, who was lying on the ground next to the crown. Slowly, Selma approached him.

"Cobra," She whispered. The Hyponbrai did not responde. Then Selma noticed his injuries. Letting out a horrified gasp, she began to call for a doctor.

Present time:

Cole stared at them in shock.

"I…had no idea," Cole said.

"That was the idea," Skales said, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Here, I found this," Cole said, handing them the letter. "It's from your son."

The king and queen of the serpentine opened it and simultaneously exchanged worried glances.


	9. Pensive Relaxation

**Sorry for the temporary haitus. But I'm back now. I own nothing.**

The Regalia pulled up into a secluded patch of forest. The trees formed a conclave around the area. A river ran through the area, a fish or two occasionally jumping out from the murky water.

"And here we are," Jakob announced, exiting the car.

" 'bout time," Ruby said, stretching her arms out. "So what's the plan?"

"Set up camp and relax," Noctis replied, shaking Alura to wake her up again.

Within a few moments, four tents stood on the muddy ground, with multiple chairs centered around what would become a fire place. A small grill stood a few feet from one of the tents, with a collection of plastic silverware and plates.

"Grill's all ready," Jakob announced after making sure it was ready to grill.

"All righty then," Yang reached into one of the bags and brought out two fishing rods. She threw one to Noctis.

"First one to five wins?" Noctis challenged.

"You're on," Yang replied, a self-assured grin on her face. The two cast the lines into the river and waited. As they stood, Alura found a log facing the two and sat down. She then pulled out a sketchpad and pencil. Soon, she was doodling the two.

Meanwhile, Ruby hovered around Jakob, occasionally staring over his shoulder. After a moment, Jakob turned around to face her.

"Ruby, what are you doing?" He asked, his tone monotone.

"Oh…well…I was hoping I could watch you cook," Ruby replied.

"How so?" Jakob inquired.

"Well, I couldn't cook to save my life. But I really wanna learn! And you're such a good one I was thinking, if I watched you, I could pick up some pointers," Ruby explained.

"No. I meant how are you going to watch me cook when I've nothing to cook?" Jakob replied. "I'm still waiting on Noct and your sister to provide me with cooking materials."

"Oh. I'll go check on them," Ruby said, before walking over to join the others. She took a seat next to Alura on the log.

"So who's winning?" She whispered to Alura.

"Well, Noctis has already caught three," Alura began, keeping her voice low. "Yang on the other hand-"

"COME ON YOU STUPID FISH BITE!" Came the infuriated scream of Ruby's sister.

"That seems about right," Ruby said.

"Perhaps you should help her," Alura suggested.

"That's not a good idea," Ruby warned her. "When Yang gets this angry, you should really keep your distance."

However, an agonized groan from Yang compelled Alura to come to her aid.

"Yang, is something the matter?" Alura asked, walking past Noctis, as he reeled in another fish. Noctis had the self-assured smile of someone who knew they were going to win and were going to rub it in the loser's face for the rest of the night. Yang stared up at Alura, her eyes practically red with anger.

"Everything's fine," Yang growled, doing nothing to convince Alura. Alura sat down next to Yang.

"You know, you need to be patient in order to fish," Alura advised.

"I am being patient," Yang snapped. Alura sighed, hoping to defuse the situation. She scanned the water.

"There!" She pointed. "There's a big one. Cast over there."

Yang did so. But the fish simply ignored the bait. A low growl starting in the back of her throat, Yang started wiggling the bait, hoping to tempt the fish. This seemed to work as the fish advanced toward the bait. A giddy smile formed on Yang's face as it moved closer. Only for her hopes to be dashed, as the fish spotted a small bug on the surface and darted toward it.

"Ha! Too bad, I might've given you partial credit for that one," Noctis mocked. "Looks like I'm gonna win this."

Yang, her face completely consumed by an infuriated scowl, stood up and threw the rod to the ground.

"Hold this," Yang said, taking off her jacket and giving it to Alura. Before any of them could react, Yang threw herself into the river. After a few moments of splashing with water being thrown everywhere, Yang re-emerged with five fish wigging in a desperate attempt to escape their captor.

"There five. I win," Yang said, a self-assured smile forming on her face. Noctis stared at her with his mouth open. Alura face-palmed before returning Yang's jacket to her. Ruby treated this like it was nothing out of the normal, simply giving Yang a "good goin' sis."

When the four return, Jakob gave Yang a confused look but elected to ignore it. Soon, the camp grounds were filled with the smell of frying fish. Jakob busily cooked away with Ruby staring over his shoulder and occasionally taking pictures. A now dripping wet Yang and Noctis argued over whether or not her victory really counted. Alura sketched the whole scene.

After a few moments, Jakob announced that the food was ready. The group proceeded to quickly gather around.

"You know what I love about your cooking, Jakob," Noctis said as he took a seat. "You don't add any of those horrible vegies."

"Actually, Noct," Ruby began as Jakob handed Noctis a plate of cooked trout with steamed broccoli. Noctis looked up at Jakob with a shocked face covered in betrayal.

"Rotten to the bone, remember?" Jakob joked. Alura handed Yang a towel before taking her own dinner.

"I think that it looks appetizing either way, Jakob," She commented.

"You flatter me, Lady Alura," Jakob replied.

"So wait, Alura what is your, like, official title," Yang asked, as she dried off her hair.

"I am the lady-in-waiting to her majesty, Queen Selma," Alura replied.

"Wow, that's so cool," Ruby said, before asking. "What's a lady in waiting?"

"Basically, Mom's personal assistant," Noctis explained, while discreetly shoving a piece of borcille on the ground.

"Oh. So you actually 'wait' on the queen," Ruby said, less enthused than before.

"Yes. It's a great honor," Alura commented.

"Anyways, Alura, let's see that sketch of yours," Noctis said, hoping to quickly move the discussion away from court life.

Alura grabbed the sketch book from off the ground and opened it to the page which she had been drawing. It showed what were essentially stick figures of her four friends with exaggerated proportions and various errors. Yang's hair was twice the size of her entire body, Jakob's glasses looked more like googles, Ruby's cape was blue instead of red and Noctis held his fishing rod in such a way that it jutted out of his head and his front fangs looked like buck teeth.

"Very…stylistic," Jakob commented, after a moment of hesitation.

"You're definitely improving," Yang added in an attempt to be supportive.

"I agree. I feel like this is my best one yet," Alura said, completely oblivious to her friends' obvious euphemisms. "What about you Ruby, how are your sketches coming?"

"Oh they're great," Ruby said. She reached into her back-pack and pulled out a dark red sketch pad. She flipped through the pages until she came to her personal favorite. It was a self-portrait of herself wielding a giant, mechanized scythe standing amid a field of defeated demon-looking creatures. In it, her hair was a little longer, she had a long scar on her left shoulder, and her clothes were torn and damaged from the encounter.

"Wow," Noctis commented. "That's pretty sweet."

"I know right," Yang added. "Hey, Ruby. Show them mine would you?"

Her sister flipped through the pages before coming to an image of Yang. It was similar to the previous one, though it showed Yang facing off with a horde of criminals.

"That's quite nice," Alura said, though one could tell she thought hers were far superior.

"It there one of me?" Noctis asked, his eyes still attached to what was to him the coolest thing he'd seen in a long time. Ruby flipped through the book for a few moments before coming to a half-completed image of Noctis. He was seated on a throne staring forward with one hand on his chin and another holding an odd weapon, a sort of sword with an engine on the end.

"It's not done yet," Ruby admitted, shyly.

"It's still very impressive," Jakob commented. "I will say I sense a certain desire behind these images."

"Is it that obvious?" Ruby said.

"Whatdaya mean?" Noctis asked.

"It's quite clear that Miss Rose fancies herself a great warrior of some sort," Jakob explained. "At least, that's what I've garnered from her portraits."

"Well, that'll happen when Qrow Branwen is your uncle," Yang said.

"Okay, maybe not a 'warrior' but an adventurer," Ruby clarified. "You know. Someone who travels to distant lands and saves people."

"Right," Noctis said. There was a pause as Noctis noticed Yang's face darken.

"What is it?" Noctis asked.

"So, Noct. We heard you had another incident last night," She said, staring right at him.

Noctis' cheerful expression immediately faded.

"Yeah," He replied, his gaze shifting to the ground. "How'd you find out?"

"It's not too hard to piece it together when you see everyone putting light-bulbs back in," Ruby commented jokingly, hoping to lighten the mood.

"I guess not," Noctis replied, not looking up.

"So. You wanna talk about it?" Yang asked.

"I…What's to say?" Noctis said simply. "I've already been psychoanalyzed once today."

"Noct, we're not trying to psychoanalyze you," Jakob said. "We're just worried about you."

"Yeah, just like everyone else in the entire city," Noctis dismissed.

"Noctis, we are worried about you because you're our friend, not because you're the prince," Alura said, keeping her voice even but kind.

The serpentine prince let out a sigh, which seemed to signify that he took at least her words as comfort.

"Yeah, friends with a freak," Noctis muttered under his breath.

"Hey, you're not a freak. Everyone's a little different and that's normal," Ruby stated.

"You think it's normal to fry an entire city! To be a burden to an entire country!" Noctis scoffed, looking up in anger. Alura noticed a red glow from underneath his glove.

"Noct, look we understand…" Yang began only to be cut off by Noctis.

"No, you don't understand!" He growled, standing up. His eyes began to glow dark purple. A sudden swirl of energy surrounded him. Alura quickly rushed to him and place her hand on his shoulder. A bright yellow glove emitted from her right hand.

"Noctis, calm down. You're safe here. We're your friends," She whispered. After a moment, the glow faded from Noctis' eyes. He stared around with a look of shame growing on his face.

"I…I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," He muttered.

"T-that's alright," Yang said.

"Yeah. Sorry, we pushed you," Ruby added.

Jakob remained silent for a moment before he commented.

"Noct, you're right. None of us truly know what it's like to be you," Jakob said. "We'll never understand. But count on this. We'll stand by you. We'll be your friends no matter what. No matter how different you are. We'll be with you and we'll help you find a cure for whatever it is that happened to you."

"And if there is no cure?" Noctis asked, sitting back down.

"Well, we'll stand by you then as well," Jakob affirmed.

The five sat together in silence for a moment before Ruby spoke.

"To be honest, you're not even the weirdest person I've met," Ruby said, adopting a smile. "Did we ever tell you about Penny Pollindena?"

* * *

The next few hours past with the five amusing one another. Eventually, they started to turn in. As Alura got up she asked.

"Noctis, aren't you going to bed?"

"I…um…don't think so," Noctis replied. "I think I'll just hang out here."

"Oh, well don't stay up for too long," Alura advised. With that, she entered her tent. Noctis let out a long sigh. He hated sleeping, since that was when he tended to cause the most trouble. He had perfected the art of power napping during the day. That way he could avoid the nightmares. No one had figured out yet that most nights when he 'turned in' he spent pacing the room. _But that's all gonna stop now._ Noctis thought. He reached down and picked up a piece of paper and a pencil. He struggled for a while trying to decided what to say. Eventually, he simply wrote down _thanks, you guys are the best._ Noctis then stood up, grabbed the keys to the regalia and started down the hill. _This is my burden to bare, not yours_ He thought.

Alura walked through a long field. The night sky shined down on her with hundreds of stars. Alura knew this was a dream because her hand was free from the markings that had been placed there ten years ago. But, she did not mind. Honestly, she preferred her dreams to reality. In her dreams, Noctis and her had been cured or it had never happened. Jakob, Yang, and Ruby were always there and the five were always happy together.

" _Alura,"_ Came a voice. She turned to see Aral standing in the middle of the field.

"Ah, Aral," She greeted, wistfully. This was another bittersweet part of her dreams. In her dreams, Aral was still alive. He and Noctis were close friends, better than brothers. But it was only a dream.

"Aral, have you seen the others?" She asked. Typically, Aral said that he knew where and then he took her to some wonderful place.

" _You have to find him,"_ Aral said.

"What do you mean?" Alura said, taken aback.

" _Noctis. He needs your help,"_ Aral responded simply. And with that, he vanished.

Alura awoke with a start. She peered out to see that Noctis was no longer in his chair. Worry beginning to well up in her chest, she made her way to his tent and peered in, only to find him missing as well.

Noctis trudged his way to the regalia. After a final moment of hesitation, he opened the driver's seat and prepared to get in when he heard a familiar voice call out.

"Noctis, what are you doing?"

Noctis turned to see Alura standing a few feet from him, her face wrought with worry.

"I…just…go back to sleep," Noctis said, looking away.

"How can I?" Alura said, taking a step closer. "Noctis, please just explain this to me. What are you doing?"

"I overheard my dad talking earlier." Noctis explained. "He said that if anyone might know what's going on with me it would be the Green Ninja."

"Then, your father is pursuing this plan?" Alura asked.

"No. He said that he wanted to exhaust every other option before we turned to that," Noctis said. "But I'm sick of waiting. My whole life has been spent just sitting around letting people worry about me."

"Noctis, are you sure you're thinking this through properly?" Alura inquired further.

"Who cares?" Noctis shot back. "Look, I'm going and that's that. So, just go back to the others, please."

"You intend to just abandon us, then?" Alura asked, hurt. Noctis looked Alura right in the eyes and said firmly.

"I'm not abandoning anyone. I…I…you guys are my friends," Noctis said, firmly. "But this is my burden to bare. I'm not going to burden you too."

"No, you're not. I'm going to," Alura insisted.

"Wha. No, Alura…"Noctis began only to be cut off by Alura.

"Listen to me, Noctis. Whatever happened to you happened to me too," Alura began, a sudden forcefulness entering her voice. "We are bound together. Where you go, I go."

"But…" Noctis tried again.

"I have as much right to find out what happened as you do," Alura insisted. "Besides, I care about you Noctis. I'm not letting you go alone."

"I…um…alright. I guess you are coming," Noctis said, taken aback by his normally demure friend's sudden show of strength. "Hm, I just never knew that you had that in you."

"Well, I don't like to bully others," Alura said, a smile forming on her face.

"I can see why," Noctis said, a smile forming on his face. "You could probably take the throne just by yelling if you really wanted."

"Oh most definitely."

Noctis and Alura turned to see Jakob, Yang and Ruby standing off to the side.

"Um how long have you been standing there?" Alura asked.

"Oh, Jakob figured you'd try something like this after you're little melt down earlier," Ruby commented. "None of us actually went to sleep, we just snuck out."

"So, let's get ready. Help us pack up would you, Noct?" Jakob asked.

"Wait, what? No. Look you're not coming," Noctis insisted.

"Actually, Noct, I do have to come," Jakob replied, causally.

"N-no, you don't. And you're not!" Noctis argued.

"Yes, I am. I have to," Jakob said, simply.

"Okay, why? Why do you have to come?" Noctis asked, irritated by his friend's nonchalance.

"Because, neither of you know how to drive," Jakob said, looking poignantly at Noctis and Alura.

Noctis immediately fell silent, his face flushing. Alura, also embarrassed, opened her mouth to say something, but immediately shut it again.

"Bahaha! Looks like someone didn't exactly think this through," Yang laughed.

"Well, what about you two?" Noctis argued. "You guys don't have to come."

"Yeah, but we wanna," Ruby gushed. "I've been waiting for a chance to have an adventure like this for years. Five friends, hittin' the roads, looking for a cure to save a prince! It's so awesome!"

"B-but I…" Noctis sputtered.

"And we're not taking no for an answer," Yang added, playfully punching Noctis in the arm. "You're our friend, Noct. And friends stick together."

Noctis stood in silence for a minute. Inwardly he felt like he was going to explode with happiness but he simply said.

"Thanks guys…I don't know what to say."

"Noct, you don't have to say anything," Jakob said. "Now, let's get going, we're losing moonlight."

"So does anybody know where the Green Ninja is?" Yang asked, as the five got in the car.

"Not a clue," Noctis replied simply.

"And that's what makes this an adventure," Ruby said.

* * *

As they drove away, a figure emerged from the shadows. He wore a long black coat with white and grey trim; his trousers matched his trim. A small red scarf sat around his neck and a grey and white hood and mantle on his shoulders. He wore a pair of fingerless gloves and a well-worn black fedora. The man looked around at the various remains of the camp ground. He bent down and started shuffling through the garbage until he noticed, out of the corner of his bright amber eyes, a sketch pad. He walked over and picked up the pad. Ruby's sketchpad, forgotten in her hast to leave, lay open to the image of Noctis. He stared at the image for a moment before smirking to himself.


End file.
